LL: Let The Lambs Play
by unconditionally-infinite
Summary: "Let the games begin, my loves." She is back and is ready to play - it is just really a matter of chance if those that play with her survive long enough to win. OC sister, Sequel to 'Little Light'
1. PROLOGUE

**Here it is! Everyone, welcome to the sequel of Little Light! This is titled ' LL: Let The Lambs Play'.  
**

 **Don't ask why.**

 **I know it's been really long since I published 'Little Light'. I hope none of you are losing interest *cue tears in eyes* I have really great ideas and I hope this prologue will spark your interest again.**

 **:D**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Vampire Diaries' or 'The Originals'. I only own any character or plot holes that you don't recognise.**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

It was eerily quiet along the street of Mystic Falls. The streets were bare. There was no wind, no light, no people… Except for one.

A young girl stood in front of a bar, hands in her jean pockets. Her blonde hair was down around her, cascading down in lazy waves over her jacket. Her wide eyes were trained on bar in front of her, following the the shadows of the people inside. She was rocking softly to an unknown beat, making her look little inane.

She hummed slightly under her breathe, pink lips coming together, a sinister sound in the dead of the night. The girl seemed like a deadly mystery that no one could solve. She couldn't have been older than seventeen.

"What are you thinking?"

A man appeared beside the girl, brown hair swept to the side. He glanced at the blonde curiously before returning his eyes back to the bar. He was relaxed.

The girl did not answer him, the humming continuing, her head tilting slightly as she observed the scene. She seemed to be deep in thought, almost unaware of her surroundings. The air around her was powerful and her fingers flinched slightly. Her eyes sparkled in the starry night and she shifted her head up to look at the sky. Then she opened her mouth and started singing:

" _Lavender's green, dilly dilly,  
Lavender's blue,  
If you love me, dilly dilly,  
I will love you.  
Let the birds sing, dilly dilly,  
and the lambs play,  
We shall be safe, dilly dilly,  
out of harms way."_

The windows of the bar suddenly shattered, and the girl's lips twitched.

"I'm thinking it's time to play."


	2. Let The Lambs Die

**Don't kill me.**

 **(More at the bottom)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter One - Let the Lambs Die**

"You're dead, Mikael!" Hayley yelled out to the enraged man… ghost. She was on autopilot, aware that she was still alive but very much vulnerable, and her sole thought was on protecting her baby. Her heart hammered in her chest at the man that haunted even Klaus' nightmares and she now understood why. She thought Klaus was bad but Mikael was worse. A rush of empathy washed through her before she pushed it back; she needed to focus.

"Your son already beat you!"

" _He is not my son!_ " Mikael bellowed, eyes glinting dangerously. "He's a scourge, a walking symbol of weakness!"

He stalked towards her and Hayley kicked the banister of the staircase, breaking some wood off. She held it tightly and backed up the staircase as he glared at her. Neither noticed the womanly figure enter the room.

"There is no saving that… _atrocity_ festering in your womb!" Mikael spat. Hayley's heart leaped. "Klaus will destroy it, one way or another. Better he dies now and you along with it!" He suddenly appeared behind her on the top of the staircase, snarling viciously.

Hayley jumped down, over the banister and landed on the first floor. Mikael followed and she spun around to face him, ready to attack. Someone got to him first.

" _Kun marret u leave us jkun. Kun marret u leave us jkun."_

A young blonde girl suddenly appeared next to Hayley; she had a pale palm raised towards Mikael and he groaned, collapsing to the floor.

"Mikael. Did you miss me?" Was all the girl said before she twisted her hand and Mikael disappeared with a strangled yell. The girl sighed, before turning to Hayley, who backed up and raised the makeshift stake. The blonde held a hand up, her lips twitching.

"I mean no harm, Hayley." She said softly. Hayley slowly started dropped her arm, staring at the girl confused.

"How do you know my name?" She asked; the blonde girl smiled but did not say anything. She walked past the pregnant werewolf and towards one of the doors of the compound; when she reached it, she paused, turning back to Hayley slightly.

"Are you not going to join me?" Hayley hesitated. "I assure you, that you and your child are safe. No harm will come to you by my hands – I only wish to show you something."

Hayley bit her lip; should she go? She had no idea who this young girl was, though she did feel like she knew her. Her mind was telling her to demand to go back to the world of the living, whereas her heart was telling her to trust the girl. Something about her... She seemed familiar.

Against all better judgment Hayley moved forward. The girl smiled kindly, eyes twinkling, before she pushed open the door. Hayley watched in amazement as they entered some sort of hut. There was a fire kindling in the middle of the small room, a few chairs scattered around it. This too, looked familiar and it was driving Haley mad not being able to name it.

" _Call up your men, dilly dilly, set them to work; some to the plough, dilly dilly,"_ Hayley only just a young girl with blonde hair in a braid sitting on a rocking chair in the corner of the room. She was singing quietly to little baby in her arms, her green eyes shining with love. With a start the wolf realized that it was the same girl that had rescued her from Mikael, only this version seemed younger – at least by a year. And then, another realization hit her – she was a Mikaelson.

Months ago when Elijah and Hayley had met he had shown her memories of his human life and she was featured in all of them. What was her name? She was always smiling and using magic, always close to Elijah. Anna, no...

"Arabella!" Hayley gasped, turning to face the youngest Mikaelson. "You're Arabella!"

Arabella smiled, nodding, a glint in her eyes. Hayley's eyes roamed over the girl she had heard so much about, yet so little. She suddenly understood why her siblings would call her Little Light – the blonde seemed to radiate it, both in life and death. Though, she seemed sad as she turned her gaze back to the memory that surrounded them. She had startling green eyes and fair skin. The one picture she had seen of her had captured her really well.

"If you are done staring, please return to watching." Arabella said smoothly with a slight up-curl of her lips. Hayley blushed and quickly obeyed her wish.

" _Some to make hay, dilly dilly, some to cut corn, while you and I, dilly dilly, keep ourselves warm."_ She had such a beautiful voice, a light ringing tone that was soft yet loud. Her eyes never left the baby who was not making a sound. " _Lavender's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue, if you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you."_

"You still have the most beautiful voice, my love."

"Oh!" Both past Arabella and Hayley jumped at the sound of a man's voice. A tall young man came through the door, smiling. He had blonde hair as well, though it wasn't as light as Arabella's. He had a long face and a pointed nose, with eyes that sparkled with mischief. He looked a few years older than Arabella but he looked at the younger girl with adoration. Hayley racked her brain on anything concerning him but came up with nothing.

"And you still lie." Arabella smiled. She slowly got to her feet, shushing the baby as it stirred at the movement. If possible, the man's smile became wider and he walked over to the two.

"How is are my girls?"

Arabella leaned up and kissed his cheek. "We are fine, Asmund. You should not worry so much."

"It my job, my love," He kissed her softly on the lips, then leaned down to kiss his daughter's head. "Is my little Goddess asleep yet?" As if on cue the infant stirred before settling down again in her mother's arms. The human Arabella smiled and brushed her hand over her tiny head, rocking her gently.

"It took a few songs but eventually our little Idun has fallen asleep."

"She is just like her Mother's siblings, then." Asmund remarked and grinned when his wife rolled her eyes. "I recall your brother threatening to come kidnap you if you do not come out soon. They are getting quite rowdy."

"He would not," Arabella laughed – she walked over to a wooden cradle with many intricate designs and gently placed the slumbering infant inside. Her pale hand brushed over Idun's head and she leaned down to place a gentle kiss. Hayley's own hand came up to rest on her large belly and she exhaled, wondering if that would be her, singing quietly to her baby and rocking her to sleep.

"Kol knows what I am capable of."

"I do not think that would stop him." Asmund chuckled. He pulled Arabella close and kissed her softly, his tall frame towering over her but she didn't seem to mind.

Hayley snuck a glance at the future Arabella. She was watching the scene with her hands in her jean pockets and Hayley didn't fail to notice the glare of tears in her eyes. It was obvious how much she had loved Asmund and her child. The question was, what happened? Elijah had never told her that Arabella had a child, let alone what happened to them. When he explained their past he had said that they were forced to become vampires by their parents – was the same said for Arabella and Asmund? What about their baby girl, Idun? Something bad must have happened because no one ever looks that sad over nothing.

"We had such a lovely day." Arabella murmured from beside Hayley. "It was my first time being so far away from Idun but I didn't worry. I was anxious to spend some time with my siblings." Past Arabella took off a necklace that had a small pendant and laid it on the child – it glowed for a second before dimming down to a soft turquoise colour. Younger Arabella smiled and backed away.

Asmund and Arabella bid goodbye to their sleeping daughter just as another woman walked in. She hugged Asmund and kissed Arabella on the cheek – Hayley looked at the future Arabella in question.

"That is Jade, Asmund's older sister." Explained the blonde. "She agreed to watch over Idun for the hours we would be gone. She had two young children of her own, so I had no doubt she would not be capable of looking after Idun. I was right but so terribly wrong."

Arabella left the cottage at the same time as her past self and her husband – Hayley scrambled to follow and as she stepped outside, she was met with a wide field of grass and flowers, surrounded by a lush green forest. Hayley immediately recognised the Mikaelson family minus their parents – Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah and Arabella were all there, along with three other boys and Asmund. Hayley assumed that these were Finn, Kol and Henrik.

"We ventured out to a field about an hour away from our village, where we would relax and play for most of the day."

"Arabella! My sister, I must beg you to stand down!" Klaus yelled – he grinned at his sister, who smiled back mischievously. They looked happy as they circled each other, crouched in a ready stance. Arabella once neat braid now looked a little messy and there was a smudge of dirt on Klaus' cheek. Hayley guessed they were wrestling.

"But brother, then I would be admitting defeat," Arabella pouted, eyes twinkling. "And I refuse to do so." Behind her, Kol, Henrik and Asmund were fighting with sticks and Elijah was helping Rebekah spread out a cloth on the ground.

It was such a strange sight to see the powerful Originals acting so human, even as humans. Of course, Hayley hadn't met Kol, Finn or Henrik – and until now, Arabella - but she had met the others and they seemed so different.

"Why are you showing me this?" Hayley asked suddenly, turning towards the blonde who was watching the scene beside her. "What is the point?"

"That will be clear soon." Arabella assured her. "I just wish to prove something to you, and then you are free to wake up. And your baby is fine." Arabella cut in before Hayley could voice her concerns. She gave Hayley a smile, "Your daughter is safe. You being here is not hurting her. Or you. I'm sure the witch working on waking you up is very confused right about now."

"Witch?" Hayley asked but Arabella didn't elaborate. She just turned back to the memory, Hayley doing the same a few moments later.

Arabella and Klaus were still circling each other but now Elijah had decided to join the fray. He snuck up behind Arabella, who remained unaware, before pouncing on her.

"Elijah!" Arabella screamed as she was dragged down. Elijah landed on top of her, laughing loudly.

"My dear Arabella, I thought I taught you better than that?" He teased. He pinned down her struggling form and she huffed, shaking her head up at him. "You must always be on your guard."

"Well I tend not to worry that my own brother will attack me." Klaus walked over to them and stood behind her head, grinning down at her. She glared at him but her lips twitched. "I may need to revaluate that concept."

"Indeed, little sister." Elijah agreed, before he started to tickle her. She squealed with laughter and tried desperately to get away but he had pinned her down well. Klaus had wondered off to tackle Henrik.

"Okay! Elijah, stop!" Arabella laughed and somehow managed to wiggle her way out from underneath her brother. She collapsed, panting from laughter and brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of her fair face.

"You are absolutely despicable!"

"I'm your favourite sibling!" Countered Elijah – Arabella rolled her and stood up. However, as soon as she stood she stumbled, her eyes glazing over and she gasped. Elijah's smile automatically turned into a concerned frown. He rushed over to Arabella.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked and Hayley stepped forward, entranced in the memory. She wondered what was happening with Arabella.

"Arabella!"

"Something is wrong." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "I... Something has happened. I can feel it."

By now, the duo had caught the attention of the others and Asmund was the first to rush over. He cradle Arabella's face gently and said, "What has happened?" Arabella didn't say anything, only latching on to Asmund's arms. She muttered something, so soft that you could barely tell she was saying anything at all.

Suddenly, her eyes shot open and the muttering stopped. The horror in her green eyes were startling and it sent chills down Hayley's spine.

Arabella only said one word.

"Idun."

She took off towards the trees, her family following behind her. Hayley went to follow but found she could not take more than a few steps. She watched as everyone disappeared into the trees.

"You have seen enough." Arabella said, appearing in her line of vision. "I can tell you the rest."

"What happened to your baby?" Hayley asked after some hesitation. The question had been burning on the tip of her tongue for the past few minutes – she needed to know.

Arabella drew in a sharp breath, and answered with, "She was taken from us, from me. She was taken from her cradle and never seen again." A tear ran down her face. "Asmund's sister was in hysterics, claiming that someone knocked her out, that she hadn't seen it coming. I already knew what had happened the minute I broke the tree line. I could feel... that my daughter was gone. I didn't even need to check my home." Above them, dark clouds started to gather and lightening struck a few feet from them, making Hayley jump. "I had thought my heart had been shattered, broken beyond repair. Being so in tune with my magic, natural magic, I ended up making a storm." As if on cue rain started pouring down on them and Hayley raised her hand to cover her face, only to discover that she wasn't getting wet. The raindrops were hitting her skin but she remained dry. Maybe because it was just a memory but it still confused her. "I managed to calm down after a few hours but the storms stayed for the next few weeks. Slowly, it calmed and disappeared but the pain never did. I never got over losing my child. Then, Henrik was killed and just before my sixteenth birthday we were transformed into vampires."

"The pain of losing your flesh and blood, someone you carried inside of you... Death is less painful." She admitted, her voice cracking. She looked up and locked eyes with Hayley. "And I assure you, Hayley, you will _never_ know that pain. You, or my brother."

"What?"

"You have wondered why I am showing you this memory," Arabella stated. "And there is a reason. I want you to know that your daughter will never be harmed, never be killed and will _always_ be protected. I will not allow you to go through the same torture I endured, nor will I let Niklaus experience it."

Arabella walked forward and gently placed a hand on Hayley's swollen stomach – the wolf could feel a warm sensation from her hands and she winced as the baby kicked, quite powerfully. Arabella grinned, taking her hand off.

"But how will you protect her? Or me?" Hayley asked. "You're, well..." Arabella raised an eyebrow.

"Dead?" She chuckled. "It is alright – I know that. But it will not be for much longer."

"What!" That word had been overused since she had arrived here. The youngest Mikaelson had a way of bringing that out of her.

"I think that's enough excitement for one day." Arabella sighed – she walked around Hayley, who turned and found herself back at the compound. She swivelled back around, finding Arabella standing in the same doorway they entered previously.

"I believe it is time for you to wake up, Hayley." Arabella raised her hands, clicked her fingers and suddenly, Hayley was back in the real world. She gasped and shot up from the table she was lying on – the familiar taste of blood was in her mouth and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You're alright, love. You're alright." Klaus soothed, holding her shoulder affectionately. Elijah was on her other side, helping her sit up. She tried to even out her breathing, but it was hard.

"I saw him." She whispered. "He tried to kill me." She looked over at Klaus with wide eyes. "I saw Mikael."

Elijah and Klaus shared a significant look – Elijah's shocked and Klaus' grim. They were worried now, wondering how he got to her when she was awake.

"But she saved me."

"Who saved you?" Elijah asked immediately. Hayley's lips curled upwards, remembering the light blonde hair and delicate features.

"Arabella."

Elijah stumbled back, letting Hayley go for the first time since she had awoken. His face had paled and he closed his eyes, shaking his head. Klaus' mouth had opened in shock and his fingers tightened around Hayley's shoulder. The mere sound of their dead sister's name made their heads spin.

"H-how?" Elijah stuttered.

"She saved me and the baby from Mikael. We had a nice... chat." Hayley gave a disbelieving chuckle. Faintly, she could almost hear the tinkling laugh of said girl but brushed it off. She was probably just hearing things.

Nobody said anything for a few moments and it was only broken by a cough from Genevieve. Hayley hadn't even realized she was there.

"Would you like me to help you clean up?" Genevieve asked politely, glancing between the two Mikaelson men. They had not moved since Hayley had spoken, too shocked and absorbed in memories to do anything else. And for once, Hayley understood.

In the memories she had seen she saw the love that the Mikaelsons had for each other – she kept underestimating their family love, and she kept forgetting that they were once human. They had once had a life and most likely longed for a family, to grow old and just live. That had all been taken away from them. They had been through so much and it was hard to remember when they acted they way that they do (particularly Klaus). But she now had some understanding as to why. To lose all of that, then to lose someone like Arabella, not once but twice must have been hard. Hayley could see it on Elijah's face how much her death had impacted him – from what she understood they were the closest.

" _Arabella and Elijah were closer than Nik and I ever were." Rebekah had told her once, trying to distract her from the heat. They still didn't know what it was that was causing but both were betting that it something to do with Sophie. "They just... understood each other. As the second eldest and second youngest I suppose that it was just meant to be."_

" _What happened to her?" Hayley asked. Rebekah gave a humourless chuckle._

" _The first or second time?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _In 1702, we were to flee Spain after Mikael had found us. I was on a ship with a daggered Finn and Arabella, waiting for Elijah and Klaus as they went to find Kol. Arabella, stupidly, forgot her sketchbook and went back to get it." She took a shaky breath. "I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen. By the time my brother's came back she had not returned. It wasn't until a compelled human found us and informed us that Mikael had found Arabella, torn her apart and planned to scatter across Europe. Elijah went into a rampage, yelling and screaming – Nik had to break his neck for him to stop. I was sobbing and for once I was glad that our brothers were daggered so they didn't have to know. We hardly got through the devastation."_

" _But she wasn't dead?" Rebekah smiled, wetting the cloth and dabbing it gently on the wolf's forehead._

" _No," She said. "She wasn't. As it turns out our darling father had locked her into a cave in Cádiz. For 308 years my sister rotted in that cave, slowly desiccating over time and forever worried that we had not gotten away. A year ago our mother managed to locate her and she was brought back. We got our sister back and she got her family and her best friend back. Then it all went to hell again."_

" _Her best friend, Roger, was murdered by Elena Gilbert, whom she hated from then on. Then the Silas situation happened and Kol was murdered by Elena and Jeremy Gilbert as Klaus watched on."_

" _But Kol isn't dead." Hayley stated, furrowing her brow in confusion. Rebekah nodded._

" _No, he isn't. And he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth," She grumbled, squeezing out the cloth. "But none us can blame him really." Seeing Hayley's confused expression she elborated._

" _Arabella had a necklace that she always wore but we never knew why." She said. "Turns out it held her magic – just before our Father drove a sword through her chest she transferred her powers into the stone so our Mother would not be able to access it. They were not planning on her becoming immortal like the rest of us so when she was revived we all assumed she had just lost her powers like Kol and Finn had."_

" _But she hadn't." Hayley said._

" _No. But when Kol died, she somehow managed to bring him back by hacking into the stone for a few minutes. She resurrected our brother, bringing him back from death. But a spell like that has a price and in this case, if was a 'life for a life'."_

" _She died?" Gasped Hayley – she couldn't believe what Rebekah was telling her. To lose someone once was hard enough but twice was one time too many._

" _She died." Rebekah whispered, nodding. "In exchange for bringing Kol back Arabella had to die – a price she was willing to pay."_

 _Hayley thought about the blonde haired girl she had seen in a painting made by Klaus and wondered why the world was so cruel. Would things be going differently if she was still here? Would she be sitting here telling stories to Hayley like Rebekah? Would she be off with Klaus and Elijah or would she be gone like Kol, slipping away from the world?_

"No, I'm fine." Hayley said, smiling at the witch, breaking out of the memory. She walked passed her, whispering quietly, "I suggest you give them a minute." Before walking up the stairs to clean herself up.

* * *

Some time later, after she cleaned herself up, Haley was sitting in her old bedroom, lost in her thoughts. A sharp rapping on the doorframe snapped her out of it and she sighed when she saw Klaus standing there.

"You've proved quite resilient, little wolf." He said, smiling. "Fighters," He looked down at her belly briefly. "Both of you." Hayley shrugged.

"I guess we've had to be." She said. "Especially lately."

Klaus seemed lost for words as she looked at him – clearly her words had made some impact on him.

"I've decided that I'm going to move back in." She told him after a moment. In response he let out a relieved sigh.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear it."

"But no mouth-breathing bodyguards, no telling me what to do." She demanded, staring sternly at the hybrid. She refused to be bossed around if she stayed here because she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Klaus smiled and nodded, "All I ask is that the child is kept safe."

Those words struck a cord within her and before she could stop herself she blurted out, "And what about me? What happens after she's born?" Her worries were getting to her and she could feel herself start to get agitated. "If you try to take her away from me, I-"

"Come with me, hmm?" Klaus cut her off. He walked over to the door that connected to a smaller room but stopped when he realized that she hadn't moved. He sighed. "Please. I want to show you something."

Reluctantly, Hayley got up and followed Klaus to the door. He opened it to reveal a nursery room – it had a wooden crib with a large teddy bear in it, a bassinet and a twinkling crystal mobile hanging from the ceiling. The colours were warm, giving the room a cosy feeling. Hayley walked in, amazed.

"Believe it or not, Hayley, I would actually like you to be here." Klaus said. "Our daughter should be raised by her parents, in her family home."

Hayley snorted quietly and gently touched the crystal mobile, sending a smile at him over her shoulder.

"You, me, Elijah and miracle-baby, all under one roof?" She crossed her arms. "Sounds like a bad reality show." Albeit, one she would probably watch.

Klaus chuckled nervously and looked down – the room went quiet as neither one said anything.

"You said you saw my father?"

"Why do you call him that?" Hayley asked. "He's not your real dad."

Klaus' eyes harden for a second and he answered, "He's done damage only a father could do." A beat passed. "What did he say to you?"

Looking at him, Hayley could see he was genuinely dreading what Mikael said to her when she had passed out. He looked... scared, she realized, and suddenly it was abundantly clear that no matter how much Klaus tried Mikael would always be a horror in his past that would never leave him. Maybe that was why he was so determined to keep their child safe – he wanted a chance to prove that he could be a better father than Mikael ever was.

Smiling warmly, Hayley said, "Nothing true." And she meant it.

For a second, Klaus did nothing. Then he smiled, relieved before it fell again and Hayley had an idea of what he would ask before it even came out of his mouth.

"And...?" He struggled, a shaky breath leaving him.

"I saw your sister." She whispered and his fists clenched. "She saved me from Mikael." Hayley laughed softly. "She was almost like an angel."

Klaus smiled.

"Yes," He agreed. "She had that quality in life as well, though I suppose it's fits more now in death. What did she say?"

"That she would protect our daughter." Hayley said and tears pooled in her eyes as she remembered why exactly she promised Hayley that. "She said she would do whatever it takes to make sure that our daughter would stay alive."

Klaus had tears in his eyes as well and he dropped his head to hide them. Hayley watched a tear drop to the floor and she sucked in a breath.

"She showed me the day Idun was taken."

At her words the hybrid froze – his whole went as still as a statue and for a second Hayley considered calling Elijah because she was positive Klaus was going to pass out. Then he moved again and braced himself against the wall.

"She... I remember that day." He muttered. He clenched his eyes shut tightly and rubbed his face tiredly. "I remember the grief I felt when I realized my little niece was gone, and the pain as I watched my little sister break down outside her home. We all held some pain but Arabella lost something else that day that we could never return."

"What was it?" Hayley asked quietly, afraid if she spoke to loud she would break the tender silence that surrounded them.

"She lost her light." Klaus said, finally opening his eyes. "Not all of it but it dimmed and it never returned. Idun was her life and as a witch Ara could feel the life force of her daughter constantly. When she was taken, that was cut off and she never got over it."

"I want our daughter to have her name." Hayley said suddenly and Klaus' eyes flicked up to hers. "I mean, not as her first name but as her middle name? She sounds like someone I want my child to aspire to be and since she isn't here to spend time with her niece, I want both of them to have something of each other with them."

Klaus was speechless and his chest tightened painfully. With a short nod, he agreed with Hayley. He too wanted Arabella to be a figure in his daughter's life. She would grow up with Rebekah, Elijah, Kol and her parents but she would never meet the best Mikaelson of all. So, naming his daughter in her honour was something he was extremely pleased to do.

Reaching up beside him, he turned a dial on the wall and dimmed the lights. Hayley went to ask him what he was doing but he shooshed her and pointed to the ceiling. He enjoyed watching as her jaw dropped.

Above them, hundreds of twinkling lights lit up the room – resembling the starry night sky outside. He had done this to honour Arabella, scattering 'little lights' over the ceiling. Nothing he would do would ever repay the years she had stuck by him but by bringing some parts of her into his child's life, he hoped it would be enough.

"Wow." Hayley gasped. She slowly spun around, taking in all the twinkling lights. "What are these supposed to be?"

Klaus smiled and said, "Little lights."

Hayley wondered why he was smiling like that, like it was some inside joke or something. She didn't pry because she had a feeling about who he was talking about and honestly, if her daughter had a room like this, why would she say anything? Her daughter would well looked after.

By _everyone._

* * *

 **Okay so... hi.**

 **Please don't kill me. What would Arabella do?**

 **Look, I am so terribly sorry about not posting. I had so much going on and I'm in my final year of high school this year so I've been busy preparing. But I'm not going to give you guys excuses, just my apology and my gratitude for those who have stuck by me and the story. And Welcome, new readers! I hope you have read 'Little Light' or you might be severely lost.**

 **So, the prologue takes place in Mystic Falls and I think some people were confused. See, when I started writing this sequel I wrote it from the wrong episode in 'The Vampire Diaries'. So I had to go back and re-write everything. But I'm keeping the prologue because it symbolizes something important to me and hopefully to you as we progress through the story. And yes, I know this chapter is most likely a major disappointment but it might take a few chapters before the story picks up.**

 **Okay, my lovely lights, that's it for now. Please review, tell me what you think, if you're new or if you've read LL. Please read my 'Harry Potter' story and I may be posting a new story soon. A very _ORIGINAL_ story, if you get what I mean *raises eyebrows weirdly*.**

 **Enjoy your day/nights, be nice to everyone, take a breath when needed and have fun!**

 **xxx**


	3. Let The Lambs Live

**So this chapter is a bit shorter than my others one and hopefully will be the only one but it felt right, having it this length. It's a bit choppy and I apologize for that but this just felt right.**

 **I hope you enjoy it! I wanted to get it out for everyone who has favourited and followed and reviewed, who I give a massive thank you to!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two - Let the Lambs Live**

His mind was a jumbled mess.

His thoughts were scrambling around in his brain as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard.

" _But she saved me."_

" _Who saved you?" Elijah asked immediately – was it a friend or foe? It was strange but he was sure that the woman who saved Hayley from their father had some other plan. What dead woman would willingly go up against the vampire who hunts vampires to save a pregnant werewolf, even if she was carrying a miracle child?_

" _Arabella."_

Nothing could have prepared him for that. Nothing. His heart stopped and his legs gave out and it took all his strength in order to stay up straight. He was aware that Hayley had had gotten up and was saying something but it was jumbled – he couldn't make sense of it. He couldn't make sense of his own thoughts, let alone her voice. Niklaus, he saw, was standing much like him. Shocked into silence.

It took him a few minutes, long after Genevieve started cleaning up and after Niklaus had left. He found himself upstairs on the balcony, watching as people danced and drank to the recent death of the Pastor. A ridiculous past time – he understood why Camille did not enjoy it. He certainly wouldn't have.

Arabella… he had shut her name out of his head since her death and tried desperately to let her go. It was difficult. Losing her once had gutted him but to know that she was in fact _dead_ and not coming back had broken his heart beyond repair. His family's too.

Why was the world so cruel, to take away someone like her? Then to dangle her in front of her family as someone who never knew her got to speak with her. He desperately wished for the chance to talk to her again, apologize for being such a failure as her brother. The last conversation they ever had was the last thing he had of her. Her body had been cremated and scattered over the Italian coast – her favourite place in the world. He hoped that she would appreciate the gesture. It was the least he could do, and how he wished he could do more.

But she was dead.

His hands tightened on the railing and he had to force himself not to break the iron railing.

That sentence had entered his mind once when he was informed she had been killed and he forced himself to never think of it again. He avoided his grief and threw himself into helping Niklaus, Rebekah and Hayley; into protecting the rest of his family. He would not fail them as he did Arabella.

"Oh my sweet Arabella," Elijah breathed into the night, closing his eyes. "I miss you." He went silent, nothing but the music drifting up from below to interrupt him. Then he heard footsteps.

"Hayley and the baby are fine." Genevieve sighed as she entered the room. "I'd take her to a doctor, if you want, but she's in the clear." She paused and Elijah knew she was waiting for a response.

Genevieve sighed again, "I'll see myself out."

"Genevieve," He spoke up suddenly – an idea popped into his head. "Thank you." She sounded distinctly surprised as she replied but he wasn't paying attention.

Hayley had said that Arabella had saved her from Mikael. Perhaps she wanted Hayley to remain as safe as he did, and risked facing off to Mikael for it. Arabella, Elijah knew, would have stopped at nothing to protect Hayley and her child. She knew the pain of losing a child – even in death she wouldn't allow Hayley and Niklaus the trauma.

* * *

 _ **Memory**_

" _I cannot feel her!" His little sister wailed into his arms. He rubbed her back soothingly but knew there was little he could do to ease her pain._

 _It had been a few nights since Idun was stolen from her crib, an action that left everyone devastated – none more so than Arabella. She had completely broken down when she entered the village and found her house a mess, and her daughter gone. A storm had gathered and it the rain had only just stopped last night. He knew that it was Arabella's doing – she was a powerful witch and her emotions had triggered a storm._

 _And now, the storm was starting to calm but Arabella's emotions still remained unchanged. Not even Ayana's potions could help her calm down._

" _I cannot feel my daughter, Elijah!" She cried, her face buried into his chest. He had been out collecting wood and found her sitting along the creek a few minutes outside the village. She had not been crying, had not moved until he had called her name – then she broke down._

 _And it was taking all of Elijah's will to not join her._

 _ **Memory**_

* * *

That day had been harsh on everyone but Arabella felt it the most. Even Asmund, the kind man he was, didn't feel it as deeply as his wife. He loved his daughter, Elijah knew for sure, as much as he loved Arabella – Elijah was certain he adored the ground his sister walked on, as it was the only way he would have let another man near her – but Arabella's daughter was a witch. Arabella could feel the power between them, their magic linked the only way a mother and child could and that had been cut off. It didn't necessarily mean that his niece had been killed and he prayed to every God he knew of back then that it wasn't so. But the emotional impact on Arabella was enough to leave her bed ridden.

And regardless of her magic, the devastation of losing a child was something many parents weren't prepared for. He had watched as Arabella collapsed in front of her home as he and his siblings rushed up behind her, her choked scream dying in her throat as she struggled to accept what had occurred. Asmund's pained yell as he ran inside, Finn, Elijah and Klaus following soon after and finding the crib turned over, the many toys and blankets the family had made for the newest addition scattered around on the floor and broken. The small pool of blood, still wet, laying next to the crib, where Asmund's sister had been pushed down as she had been helpless to whatever monster had stolen her niece from her family.

Elijah had had many days that had seemed so bad that he wondered how it could possibly get better but that day was still on the top of the list. He was sure his siblings agreed.

They hadn't just lost Idun that day – they had lost part of their little sister as well. So whilst Arabella mourned for only her child, her family – not including Esther and Mikael – mourned a part of her that would never return as well.

Shaking his head, Elijah took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. Now was not the time to be sucked into memories that he could not change. Now was the time to be the brother that Arabella deserved, that Rebekah deserved, that _Niklaus_ deserved. He would not fail them. He would not fail her.

"You tore my only living sister away from my family. I cannot forgive that. However, I may be inclined to show a degree more kindness if you could help me with a slight… issue."

He would do better.

* * *

Well… this wasn't good.

He was dead. That was such a weird thing to think and know it's true. Mainly because he was staring at his body as Caroline, Elena and Damon stood over it. It was weird – like it wasn't real.

And what was with the blue haze around everything?

Stefan's thoughts were interrupted by loud rumble. Not a second later, the place started trembling. He braced himself against the column beside him, trying to keep himself stable but suddenly his feet were sliding away from the column. A strong force was pulling him towards the end of the hall. He tried desperately to stop but nothing helped. He managed to latch onto the corner of the wall, just before the window as he was lifted up into the air. He barely managed to hold on and he was slipping already.

Just as he was about to let go – certainly not by choice – someone's hand appeared around the corner and grabbed his wrist.

"I got you!"

He knew that voice and as he was pulled to safety, he couldn't help the surprised expression that crossed over his face when he got a good look at the person who saved him. Or, people.

"Now, see, this is where you say 'thank you', Stefan." Roger teased, grinning teasingly. He stood just behind Lexi, who also was smiling.

"Looks like I've now saved you from both metaphorical darkness and actual darkness." She said, still holding his wrist. The wind blew around them, a loud whistling noise echoing in his ears. Though, he wasn't quite sure if that the wind or if it was his shock that was causing it.

"I think you owe her a beer, mate." Roger said, looking at Stefan with an expectant expression. Stefan let out a disbelieving laugh.

He owed her much more than that.

..

"Huh." Lexi huffed as they walked into the Mystic Grill. Roger had walked past her to the bar, pulling himself up to sit on it. Lexi and Stefan followed.

"I thought for sure he'd be here. If you were a history teacher turned vampire, where else would you be?"

"You seem very intent on finding somebody you barely know." Stefan observed, still quite not believing everything that was happening.

"Well, I have a thing for day drinkers." She turned to face him with a wry grin. "Plus, he has a cute name. _Alaric._ Hmm."

"Honey, you're drooling." Roger commented, earning him a smack on the arm by Lexi. He laughed but stopped when he spotted something outside. Then, the door flew open.

"Stupid bloody witches and their sacrifices! I cannot wait to get my bare hands on their scrawny little necks!"

"Sunshine!" Roger beamed, launching himself off the bar and ran to the blonde, who smiled tiredly at him. They embraced as Lexi and Stefan watched on, the latter baffled into silence once again.

"What happened?"

"Hayley is in labour and my brother is being forced to watch the witches handle his child." Arabella sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't have long – I need to be there. I can't protect the child properly unless I'm alive. I don't even have to be in New Orleans!"

"Arabella?" Finally, Stefan's voice seemed to have returned to him and he watched as said girl lifted her head. They stared at each other for a minute before she smiled.

"Hello, Stefan."

"I'm so sorry." He blurted out before he could stop himself. Walking forward, he came to a stop in front of the blonde, ignoring Roger as he went back to the bar.

Stefan's eyes bore into hers, "I am so sorry."

"Whatever are you apologizing for?" She asked, seemingly confused. He swallowed nervously and she realization dawned on her face. "Stefan, that was not your fault. You cannot possibly blame yourself for my death – you did not cause it."

He knew she was right but the truth was, Stefan felt like it was his fault that she had died. All these things led up to her death and it affected him more than he cared to admit. No, he didn't magically realize he loved her but they were friends, almost as good as he and Lexi were. If he had of just talked Elena out of killing Kol, told her to go hide away with Jeremy until it blew over. If he hadn't of asked Matt to un-dagger her, even if it meant she would lie in that box for centuries she would still be alive. And he wouldn't have felt so guilty.

He felt like he was to blame for her death and if not for it all, then the majority. He had wished to apologize to her for so long and now he had, he felt a little better, even with the guilt gnawing at his chest.

"Still, I am sorry." He said, then he pulled her into a hug. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him before relaxing. After a minute, she pulled back and smiled, green eyes twinkling.

"Oh, and you were right about Lexi and I," She said cheerily. "We get along swimmingly!" He laughed. She shook her head and walked past him towards their friends. "Come on. Let's enjoy death together, before I have to go off to save my family once again." Stefan couldn't help the laugh that escaped him at her exasperated tone.

* * *

When Hayley woke up with a gasp she could feel it – the change, the gnawing hunger that stirred within her. She could feel the difference in her bones, the different structure of her DNA. Everything was lighter, clearer, sounded better. It was almost as if she had been born again, only better.

But still… something was wrong.

" _Hayley! Listen to me!"_

Hayley swung around, trying to find the source of the voice. When she saw no one in the church she grew worried.

" _We don't have time, Hayley!"_

"Arabella?" Hayley gasped, swivelling around again. She remembered that sweet voice, even if she had only heard it for a short while. What she didn't understand was how the girl was even speaking to her in the first place.

"Maybe I'm just going insane…"

" _You're not going insane but I need you to listen to me, Hayley! You died giving birth to your daughter in St. Anne's Church!"_

Memories of Hayley screaming during labour flashed in her mind, the witches surrounding her, Klaus pinned to a wall – Monique slitting her throat as she held her daughter for the first time.

Her throat burned.

" _The witches took her to the Lafayette Cemetery and my brothers cannot find her!"_

Her finger twitched.

" _But you can, Hayley! You're linked not only by the bond of mother and child but by a sire bond – Hayley, you're a Hybrid now! You are sired to your daughter, which means you can find her!"_

There was an ache in her gums.

" _Locate my brothers and follow your instincts! They will lead you to your daughter! I'm coming as fast as I can but it's up to you for now!"_

Hayley was already out the door, her bare feet slapping against the ground as she raced to the cemetery. Blind rage filled her and she used it to power on, to ignore the hunger she felt in her mind. Nothing mattered, except finding her daughter. Nothing mattered, except slaughtering the witches who dared touch her child.

She passed through the entrance of the cemetery, her face a mask only a mother could use.

* * *

"Did she get it?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"I'm going as fast as I can."

"I know."

Soon enough, they passed the New Orleans sign.

"What are you going to do when we get there?"

"I am going to destroy anyone who gets in my way. Nobody hurts my family and lives."

No one.

* * *

"We've passed through here twice already." Elijah growled, glancing around angrily. "We're running out of time!" In his anger he punched through tomb wall and tried to maintain his composure, though why he bothered he hadn't the slightest idea.

Everything was a mess – the witches had his niece, Hayley was dead, Klaus was about to lose his child and their home was falling down. He had yelled at his brother before to release his frustration and yes, he still felt some anger towards Niklaus because honestly, how else did he expect it to turn out? Klaus was so focused on being king of New Orleans, of controlling everything and everyone that he forgot about the child. Elijah suspected the Klaus had _finally_ realized that he was to be a father only recently and didn't know how to handle it.

But Elijah couldn't keep yelling at him because in truth he wasn't entirely made at his brother. No, he was grieving for another love he lost and this time it wasn't by Klaus' hand. He finally let someone in, let this young woman in and she was ripped from his life like nothing more than a toy. So much death and grief in so little time had finally caused him to snap and unfortunately, Klaus got the brunt of it. It was so easy to continue yelling, to continue to want to beat Klaus to the floor but he could see it – he could see the pain. No matter how much he tried Klaus could not hide his feeling from Elijah – the oldest could always see it. He was his big brother. He knew when his little brother was hurt and he could see then that Klaus wasn't just hurt, but completely and utterly destroyed. The pain behind his eyes, the _self-loathing –_ it nearly made Elijah collapse. He _finally_ recognized his mistakes, his inability to comprehend the danger he was bringing to the child once it was born and Elijah felt sick to his stomach because he had failed. He had promised to be a better brother, to protect and defend and honour his siblings and he _failed!_

It was time like that these, that he wished he wasn't so immortal.

Klaus sighed angrily, marking the wall with a rock neck to him. His thoughts, much like his brothers, were centred on his guilt. It was his fault the witches took his daughter, it was his fault that Hayley had been killed, it was his fault that Rebekah left New Orleans – everything was his fault. He felt it, a deep heavy sensation in his core, weighing him down. He wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the ground and never get up. He was the immortal Hybrid, yet, that had never been considered a curse to him until now.

His flesh and blood - his _daughter_ – was out there, unaware of the danger she was in. He had watched her be born and even strung up against the wall, the peace he felt as his eyes landed on his baby girl for the first time was nothing he had ever experienced in his thousand years on Earth. But then she was ripped from his sight and he screamed not only in rage but in pain as Hayley was slaughtered in front of him. Because now, his child had no mother and it was _all his fault._

And when he fell to the floor he couldn't bring himself to get up because the grief and pain and hatred was just too overwhelming, even as his brain screamed to get up, to go after the witches who kidnapped his daughter.

Then Elijah walked in and Klaus had never seen his brother look so broken, not even after all the horrific things Klaus had done to him. He wanted nothing more than to stop, to ease Elijah's pain – but he couldn't. He could only promise him that Elijah would be able to care for his niece, tell her how much he loved her mother, when they saved her. Because he will and he'll be damned if his baby girl loses any more family today.

"We must move faster!"

"Or smarter."

Both brothers froze, not quite comprehending what they heard and when they did, they were too afraid that it was just another illusion.

Elijah turned and felt his breath leave him as he set his gaze on a shoeless Hayley. She stared blankly back, her eyes far away but he didn't care. He walked forward, hands outstretched, brushing her skin and cupping her face. She was bloody and her hair was a mess and her feet bare but she still looked so beautiful. Elijah felt like he might cry.

"How are you here?" He whispered.

"I woke up in the church." She said, dazed. Her mind was scattered but something inside her was pulling her, urging her to move.

 _Was this what Arabella meant?_

"I could feel it… This _hunger."_ Her eyes flicked up to Klaus', who seemed to shocked say anything. She willed him to understand because she hadn't thought about it herself yet and she wasn't sure if she could say it. "I knew what I needed." Suddenly, the pull in her chest gave a sharp tug and she turned her body obediently. She didn't know exactly how but she knew that this feeling would lead her to her daughter – she could feel it. She could feel her baby.

"I can feel her." She breathed, moving away from Elijah. She brushed past Klaus without so much as a glance. "She's here." Another tug. "I can feel my baby."

Klaus watched her, something nagging his thoughts until it finally dawned on him.

"You died with the baby's blood in your system," He realized, turning to look at Elijah. "She's in transition to become a hybrid."

Elijah's mouth parted in horror. "She need to drink the blood of the child if she is to survive." His thoughts switched between nothing and everything, ecstatic that Hayley was alive and real and well but horrified that she was to become a hybrid – a vampire-wolf hybrid. And in order to do that, she must taste the blood of her own child to live.

Klaus swallowed, not quite sure what to make of this revelation. What to do or say or _think_ – it was all lost on him. He was so close to collapsing, so close to just lying down but when he looked back at Hayley, something stirred within him. A fire or rage or something but it was hot and angry and it spread so fast that Klaus was almost knocked off his feet but he didn't care.

"I don't care about me." Hayley said and locked eyes with Klaus. "I'm gonna go find our daughter." She turned without a word, letting the strange sensation in her belly guide her. Klaus and Elijah followed – Elijah still stunned and Klaus more determined than ever.

This time they would not fail. This time they would succeed. They would rescue the child, stop the witches and put an end to this once and for all. Klaus will be the father that Mikael never was and Hayley will be the mother she never had and Elijah will be the brother and protector that he was supposed to be.

Because they were a family – they lived together and they died together, but not today. Today they would flourish and nurse the newest Mikaelson whilst vanquishing any enemies in their way.

Because they were a family, and this family wasn't about to back down with a fight.

* * *

A pale blonde woman walked swiftly towards Lafayette Cemetery, her curly blonde hair billowing out behind her. Next to her, a tall young man with wispy brown hair walked next to her, a serious look on his face. On the outside, these two look normal, but that was very far from the truth.

"I need you to go check on Marcel," The woman said to the man. They stopped right outside the entrance of the cemetery – the wind picked up. "I feel something happened."

"Are you sure?" The man stole a hesitant look towards the cemetery and winced from something unknown. The blonde nodded.

"Go." She ordered quietly and he vanished from sight. Sighing, the blonde girl tilted her head and took a step forward. There was a faint screaming sound.

"Oh, my precious darlings," She cocked her head to the side, her eyes dancing with a dangerous mirth. "You have _no_ idea." She lifted her fingers and gave a swift _click!_ A spark left her fingers and suddenly an invisible barrier shattered, the screaming with it.

Slowly, the girl lifted her foot and nudged it over the entrance of the cemetery. When nothing happened she smiled and stepped completely in. Her hearing picked up a slight murmuring of hundreds of voices and she started treading in that direction; an invisible force tried to send her back. The girl paused.

"No." She said clearly. "I am stronger than you, you see, and I _promise_ you," Her eyes turned red and black, dark veins appearing under her eyes as her teeth elongated to fangs and she hissed. "You will suffer for the evil you have brought to my family."

An image of an old woman, dressed in clothes a hundreds years passed appeared before her and glared at her.

"You are not welcome, old one!" She hissed, her pale eyes gleaming. "Get out before we send you out ourselves!"

The blonde smirked. "It's cute how you think I care." With a flick of her hand she sent the ghostly woman away and let out a tiny giggle.

"Let the games begin, my loves."

* * *

 **There you go :)**

 **Question: Does anyone want me to continue to write Arabella in third person or would you prefer her in first person, like in 'Little Light'? I like both but I have to pick one, otherwise the story ends up a bit messy and then you get annoyed and it's just really confusing!**

 **If you liked it, leave a review! Or not but it would be very much appreciated!**

 **xx**


	4. Let The Lambs Bleed

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three - Let the Lambs Bleed**

I followed Hayley, Elijah and Klaus as they walked through the cemetery, using the tall mausoleums to jump across the cemetery.

The magic in the air was electrifying – it sparked at my skin and sent shivers down my spine. It both thrilled me and irritated me at the same time. The fact that I could now feel the magic again, to feel the power, made me ecstatic but the reason behind all the magic made me furious. In the distance, I could hear the cries of my niece.

It infuriated me.

But, Hayley needed to get there first – her, and my brothers. I needed to know that they were capable of coming together like a family before I interfered, and there was no doubt I would. The witches were powerful and it was their greatest hour. My family didn't stand a chance.

I suppose it was a good thing I rose from the dead.

I managed to find the witches before Hayley and my brothers. They stood around the alter, chanting in French, whilst my niece was lying in the middle of the alter. She was crying and my chest heaved painfully as I remembered that sound from a thousand years ago. She was scared and I had to clench my hands so hard that my nails cut into my palm, drawing blood. It was taking all my will not to jump down there and tear their heads off. It was not time – I could not expose myself right now. It was up to Hayley and Elijah and Klaus.

"NO!"

A silent breath left me as Hayley and my brother turned the corner just as the witch Genevieve raised the athame above the child. Elijah, the quick mind that he was, picked up a nearby urn and threw it at Genevieve. The athame fell from Genevieve's hand and I quickly summoned it up to me. No one noticed.

The fight commenced. I watched as Elijah, Klaus and Hayley were thrown back by the two teen girls who were calling upon their ancestors for protection. Apparitions of hundreds of dead witches flashed before my eyes and I grinned when I located the witch from earlier. Obviously, she didn't get the message I gave her.

"Stop Genevieve, Hayley!" I whispered once I noticed the red-head start moving to where she thought the knife was. I knew Hayley had heard me because she moved to the left, running around to stop the witch. I watched her throw a punch and knock Genevieve to the ground with a grin.

Klaus headed in the opposite direction whilst Elijah continued to fight to get closer to the child. The dark-haired witch, Monique, spoke clearly, a hard glare on her face.

"You fools! To come against us in our place of power in our strongest hour?" She shouted. "You don't face three, you face us all!" Her and the other girl, Abigail, continued chanting, channelling their ancestors.

It astounded me that witches, proclaimed keepers of the balance and nature, were willing to sacrifice a newborn child. This was not witchcraft – this was murder. As a witch myself it disgusted me – magic was about life and nature, about protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. You drew from the Earth to harness your magic and you let it flow back in once had completed your task. Dark magic, sacrificial magic and even ancestral magics were everything but that. They all required killing and sacrificing life for continuous or more magic. Kol had been fascinated by all types of magic over the years but I found no joy in any of them. It was not in me to enjoy anything other than traditional magic. Some might call me 'old school' but a thousand years ago, when I was nothing but a human, magic was a sacred ability, a special ability. You had been given a gift, to feel and harness the life of Earth itself. Over the years that concept has been lost on more and more witches, to the point where now it was more about power than it was about the ability. Perhaps, now, I contradict myself, now a vampire and a witch but I respected magic and so it, in turn respected me. I respected the laws of nature, therefore, in return, magic respected me. The spirits had no control over how I used my magic – nature, Earth itself, was the true puppet master.

And as much as it would allow, I would use my powers in order to bring justice to my family.

Quickly, I dashed along the tops of the crypts and mausoleums. Klaus was blocked from his path by twins in white suits – Papa Tunde's sons, if I recall correctly. Not that it mattered.

I flung myself off the roof of a crypt and landed just behind the two as they telekinetically threw my brother into a tomb.

"Now," They turned to face me and I smiled innocently. "That was not very nice. _Pellat._ "

They vanished from sight. I let out a harsh breath and sped over to the tomb just as Klaus exited it. "Hello brother."

He stopped dead in his tracks and I took a moment to soak in the sight of him. He was a mess, a rare occurrence. His hair was messed up and cake with blood and dirt, dried blood at the corner of his mouth. His shirt was ripped and stained with blood – whose I did not know – and he looked worse for wear. But still, even though he looked terrible, the sight of him as he spotted me, alive and well, made my heart jump.

"Arabella?" He breathed and I nodded, smiling. He walked forward and delicately placed his hand on my cheek; I couldn't help but lean into it. It had been so long since I had been able to touch and talk to my family. I had been forced to endure the sight of them struggle in the real world while I was stuck on the Other Side, unable to do anything. I had only been able to contact Hayley because the veil that separated the Other Side from the real world was collapsing. It had taken almost everything to pull myself and Roger from the Other Side by myself instead of passing through Bonnie but I managed. We had been on the road to New Orleans almost immediately.

"What? How….?"

"Brother, you should know at your age that anything is possible," I smiled sarcastically, reaching up to grip his hand in my own. "But there is no time for explanation right now. We have to go save your daughter."

At the mention of his newborn his eyes flashed yellow and he growled low in his chest, a deep sound that would have frightened me had it been directed at me. Instead, I stepped back and gestured to where his daughter was waiting for him.

"Come now, brother," I let my face melt into my true form. "I'm in the mood for a witch hunt."

Klaus didn't need anymore motivation; he stalked forward with me at his heels and my fingers twitched in anticipation. I felt a flash of excitement and longing to see my siblings again but the magic within me overwhelmed the feelings. All I was focused on was the danger my niece was in and the revenge I would take against the witches of New Orleans.

Klaus stopped for a brief second to rip off one of the spikes of a wrought iron fence. With well-harnessed precision he threw it forcefully towards Abigail and it impaled her, killing her instantly. Straight away we could see a brief flash as the connection between the two girls and their ancestors was broken – I grinned triumphantly.

My grin got even more pronounced when Monique quickly tried to run over to where she thought the blade was, and her eyes widening when she realized it was not there.

"No!" She yelled. "Where is it? Where is the athame?"

"It is right here, love," I said, appearing right behind her. With a strong thrust of my hand I embedded the blade into her back and she gave a startled and pained gasp; blood dripped over my hand but I ignored it in favour of reaching around to cup her jaw. I pulled her back, the blade shifting inside her and she whined painfully.

"Say hi to your ancestors in hell for me, will you?"

With that, I forced her head sharply back and there was a loud _snap!_ that echoed through the cemetery.

I let the athame drop beside me, having no need for it anymore, and wiped the blood on my hand on my jeans.

"Well," I sighed, smiling sweetly as I turned to face my two brothers and Hayley. "Wasn't that just terribly unnecessary." Hayley let out a choked laugh and even Klaus' lips quirked up at my sad attempt at humour.

But Elijah…

I looked over to my brother and drew in a sharp breath; he was looking at me with wide eyes, pain and anguish swirling behind them like a rough ocean sea. I swallowed nervously, taking a step forward and all of a sudden he fell to his knees. I was by his side in an instant.

Fingers touched my cheek and he made a strained sound, his forehead falling to rest on my shoulder. I shushed him, reaching up to stroke his dirty hair.

"My God…"

"Shh! Elijah, _please…"_

Tears slipped past my eyelids, trailing down my cheek and onto Elijah; I felt like some heavy weight was being pried from my body and it felt so wonderful.

"You were dead," He muttered, lifting his head up finally to look at me. He looked so broken it made my chest squeeze painfully. "You were dead."

"I was," I agreed softly, bringing my other hand up to wipe away at some blood on his cheek. "But I received a gift from the other side and I was able to pry open…" I trailed off, suddenly feeling a shift in the air.

"Arabella?"

I let my fingers tap Elijah's cheek twice before I pulled back and stood up, ears straining to pick up what my magic had.

"Perhaps this is not the time to discuss it," I mumbled and turned to face my niece; looming over her was a familiar dark-skinned man. "Hello, Marcellus."

He disappeared from view, taking my niece with him.

"Do not worry," I said to the three behind me. "He will not harm her. Nik, I suggest you follow him." I turned back around, Klaus giving me a curious look but I just nodded and he was off. With that, I walked forward to Hayley and pulled her into a hug. "It is wonderful to meet you, Hayley – well, officially, I suppose."

Hayley chuckled weakly. "Thank you." She whispered and I nodded, smiling – I knew exactly what she was thanking me for.

"Now," I sighed; turning, I eyed Genevieve who was still standing where Hayley and her had the scuffle, a look of horror written on her face. When she shifted her gaze to me it became one of terror and she started to back up. "Oh, no, no! Please! Come back!" Bringing my hand up I made a pulling motion and Genevieve was sent flying forwards. With a loud grunt she landed at my feet. "You weren't about to leave, were you? I believe we have some unfinished business, Genevieve."

I fisted her hair in my hands and started dragging her towards a tomb, gesturing for Hayley and Elijah to follow. Elijah was by my side immediately, barely a hair's length away but I didn't mind; to just be able to reach over and grasp his hand was enough for me.

In the tomb I spotted some shackles and proceeded to put them around the red-haired witch's wrists; the minute I let go of her hair she scrambled back. Hayley stood behind her and held the back of her neck – she looked furious, ready to kill.

"Careful, love," I said sweetly, finishing the last shackle. "Hayley might not be as kind as me and she might rip your hair right out of your head."

"Why?" Hayley demanded; I stepped back next to Elijah, his hand finding my own and squeezing.

"The Ancestors left me no choice-" Genevieve proclaimed but Hayley cut her off.

"You were willing to sacrifice an innocent baby for more power?" Hayley asked, appalled.

I glanced at Genevieve. "Not just power, I think." Genevieve shook her head, barely glancing at me.

"It was the Ancestors decree," She stated, a faraway look in her eyes. "It was _her_ decree."

I frowned in confusion; what did she mean? I'll admit, I wasn't really paying attention to the happenings of the other side and especially not any that were over here in New Orleans. Who was this 'she'?

Elijah's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her face roughly, forcing her head so she had to look him in the eyes.

"It was _whose_ decree?" He growled out. To my surprise she smiled.

"I'm surprised you have to ask." She chuckled, a dark undertone makes me uncomfortable. My fingers twitched. "After all, it was you who convinced your siblings to consecrate her on New Orleans soil."

"You didn't!" I gasped, shock washing over me.

"Esther." Hayley breathed. Elijah let go of Genevieve, visibly disgusted and ran a hand over his face.

"So, not even death can stop my mother from seeking the annihilation of her own flesh and blood." Elijah muttered. I closed my eyes, my hands curling into fists in order to stop the slowly building anger inside.

"This isn't the end!" Genevieve said anxiously. "As long as that child lives, the witches of New Orleans will _never_ stop coming for it – _Esther_ will never stop coming for it. It has been decreed – your baby will be consecrated among her ancestors. _She will not live."_

I chuckled darkly, drawing her eyes to me.

"That's where you are wrong," I stated. "My niece will live because I am here – Esther did not count on that, did she?"

Without a word, I left the tomb and rushed outside; my body felt alight with rage and the magic coursing through me was not helping at all.

Esther wanted to kill her own family – her own granddaughter! How could she? Did she desire so much to see her children suffer, to see them be in pain because of a mistake she made? I will never understand that women, but I knew that for all her plans she had not taken into account that I might be here. Even if I didn't have my powers, I am smart enough to know that I could beat Esther and that frightened her; with my powers I was even more of a threat.

I stomped through the cemetery, breathing harshly. I hope she was watching – I want her to know that I am here, back and ready to protect my family. I hope she can see that I was ready for whatever she had planned, that I could stop it and she would never stand a chance.

My brother will not suffer the same fate as I did a thousand years ago because Esther was too afraid to admit her wrong doings. He will watch his child grow into a beautiful young woman, something I never got the chance to do.

Suddenly a tomb exploded and I stopped walking, bringing my hand slowly back down to my side.

I pity anyone who tries to stop that from happening.

* * *

"She is beautiful, Hayley." I murmured, leaning over the back of the rocking chair Hayley was currently sitting in. In her arms was her daughter, who was fast asleep. "Much quieter than my own was." Hayley let out a soft chuckle, her eyes never straying from the sleeping infant.

The compound was silent, the only source of noise coming from upstairs where Hayley, Elijah, Klaus and I were with my niece. Marcel had left for some unknown reason and I was glad, even if I felt sorry for his loss. The many bodies littering the courtyard painted a gruesome picture.

My brother's daughter was sleeping as of now and I was content just watching her; it had been so long since I had been this close to infant and I could feel that longing deep inside just scratching at the surface.

"What's it like?"

"Hm?" I snapped out my thoughts, looking down at Hayley.

"What is it like?" She asked again, gently rocking back and forth. "Being a mother?"

I paused, unsure of how to answer. Was there even a correct answer?

"Terrifying." I finally settled on. "It is terrifying – there is this tiny human that is half of you and they are completely dependant on you for their survival. But oddly, that is what makes it so amazing," I smiled, reaching over to brush my hand against the infant's head. She barely stirred. "You will find yourself just staring at them and wondering how on Earth you got so lucky, how on Earth you got such a beautiful child. You will have this inane protectiveness all the time and no idea why; nothing is more important. They are on your mind every second of every day and you don't care. Being a mother is such a… such a weird but wonderful thing."

"You would have been a good mother," She said suddenly and I swallowed, looking down.

"I like to think I was," I admitted. "But I never really got the chance to find out." Hayley sent me a pitying look but I waved her off, forcing a smile on my face. I will not let my emotions ruin this for her.

"She is in danger." Hayley stated softly. "Even they know it." Both of us glanced at Elijah and Klaus in the next room, both of them leaning forward in a heated discussion. Occasionally, I would see Elijah's eyes shift to me, as if to check I was still here.

"Yes, she is," I sighed. "Unfortunate, but true. But you must know, Hayley, that this family – for all our faults and our tendencies to ruin each other – we do care about each other. We will fight to the death for this family, and you and your daughter are family."

Hayley paused, looking at me with a small smile. "You sound like your brothers," She commented. I shrugged.

"A thousand years is a long time to spend with someone," I said. "And we all swore the same vow years ago – even when we stray from it we always find our way back. Family above all, always and forever."

I left Hayley then, giving her some alone time with her child and walked into her bedroom with my brothers. They didn't stop conversing as I sat on the bed right beside them; the only indication of acknowledgement was Elijah's hand coming to rest on my knee.

"They will never be safe." Klaus said brokenly. He paused before continuing, "What was it you said to me earlier? That I have made enemies every day of my miserable life?" I looked over at Elijah with a frown, watching him sigh and drop his head guiltily. "Well, the worst of them are within these borders, brother. I have brought into the world a weapon they can use against me."

"Niklaus, no," I said, reaching over and placing my hand on his shoulder. His eyes flicked to me and I swallowed, finding it hard, as I noticed the tears in his eyes. "Nik, you mustn't think like this!"

"And why not? It is the truth!" He argued but there was no real bite.

"Then we will arm ourselves!" Elijah said determinately. "Brother, we have fought every adversary in this town and we have won. And we'll fight them again, no matter who they are! We will make this home a fortress."

Klaus shook his head, casting a glance at Hayley; I knew she was listening but I did not say anything. She had a right to know.

"I will not have her live her life as a prisoner," Klaus swore in a low voice.

"Then we leave her, together. All of us."

"It will not work, Elijah," I said softly. "The witches will be able to sense her life force, her magic where ever we go, especially is they are being aided by Esther. And anyone with a vendetta against our family will hunt her. Everyone in the supernatural community knows of the pregnancy – even the other side knows. It is only a matter of time before people come to see the child, and not all of them will be friendly."

Elijah sat back, looking defeated. "So, whether we stay or we leave, we condemn her."

"There's a third option." Hayley suddenly appeared in the doorway with the baby in her arms. She looked tired, and almost… heartbroken? I could not imagine why but I would not know how I would feel after everything that has happened today.

"I grew up in a war zone," Hayley stated. "My parents thought they could protect me. But, in the end, they slaughtered," I looked down at my hands. "And I spent my childhood alone and unloved."

My hand came up to press gently down on my stomach; an ache had settled deep within me, as it had occasionally over the past thousand years. In recent events, I do not think it had gone away.

Hayley looked down at her daughter and smiled at her, touching her face gently. "I made a promise to my baby, and to myself, that she would not grow up like I did. That she would grow up safe, and loved. And yet, here she is, on her first day in this world, with a grandmother is bent on sacrificing her…" She stuttered a little as she started to cry and my hand pressed down harder; Elijah's squeezed my knee as he watched. "And a – a mother who has to drink the blood of her own baby to survive transitioning into a hybrid. And I'm the one who loves her the most!"

I got up then, walking over to wrap my arms around the newly turned hybrid; she cried, trying desperately to stop but failing in doing so. I blinked, holding back my own tears. This situation we were in was not ideal – we had no real solution that would both keep the baby safe and keep her parents safe. She would always be in danger, no matter where we went or how far away we would go.

Eventually, Hayley started to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she said in a low and eerily calm voice, "I think the only thing to do is… is to send her away, while we stay behind and clean up the mess we've made."

"No." I said clearly, shaking my head. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at me and I stepped back, crossing my arms. "No, Hayley, that is not an option."

"You heard Genevieve," Elijah cut in, glancing at Hayley and Klaus. "So long as she lives, that baby will be hunted."

Klaus suddenly stood up, resolves clear on his features and I swallowed nervously as he came to stand with Hayley and the baby.

"Not if no one knows she lives."

I gasped and shook my head again. "No… no!"

"Sister, I will do whatever it takes to save our family," Klaus started and I growled, running a hand down my face.

"You do not… Ugh!" I turned around and began to pace, unable to convey my agitation. "You will not survive this, _Hayley_ will not survive this!"

"We must."

I whirled around at him, my vampire visage coming out as anger spiked inside of me.

" _You will be destroyed!_ " I yelled angrily. "Do remember, brother, when you saw the witches take your child in the church? Hayley, do you remember? The pain, the emptiness that settles in your chest? You will die from that if you send her away! I almost did! It hurts, brother, like nothing you have every experienced and I will not allow you to kill yourselves!"

I left in a breeze, ignoring Elijah as he called for me; I flew down the stairs and out into the streets, careful to hide my face from anyone's gaze. Once I was far enough away I let out a breath and leaned against the closest wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the ground. I dug my palms into my eyes to get rid of the tears. When my phone started ringing I almost jumped in fright.

"Roger." I whimpered as I answered.

"Arabella? Arabella, what happened?"

"They want to… The child, she will never be safe and they want to…" I took a deep, shaky breath. "They want to send her away, far away so we can fix what is wrong in the city."

I heard Roger sigh on the other line. "Sunshine…"

"It hurts."

"I know, sweetheart, I know." He said sympathetically.

A few tears slid down my cheek. "It will kill them, Roger, I know it will. How can… I…"

"It's the best way, Sunshine," He said softly. "I know it hurts and I know you are scared but don't let your tragedy influence theirs. Let them work it out – you just need to be there to support them in any way you can."

He was right, of course – I was letting my own emotions influence my opinion of Klaus' decision. I would do the same thing is I was in their position, as much as it would pain me to do so, and it was up to me to make sure I would support them in anyway.

"I know," I whispered, looking down at the ground. "I know, you are right." We were silent for a few moments as I tried to get myself under control. "I didn't realize how hard this would be."

"Do you want me to come back?" He asked and I smiled.

Roger had returned to Mystic Falls to find a certain Gilbert he was furious with; I do not know the exact details of what he planned to do but I do almost pity Elena.

Almost.

"No, I am fine." I said, sighing and leaning my head back against the wall. "I should return back to my brothers and Hayley."

"And apologize."

"And apologize." I grumbled, smiling when Roger laughed. "Thank you, Roger."

"Anytime, Sunshine, anytime."

I stayed sitting on the ground on some foreign street for a long time, watching as people passed, going about their lives. I noticed a few were holding flower bouquets but I paid no mind. My mind wondered, many thoughts passing and leaving my head before I could think of them any deeper. For a few seconds, my mind flew to Idun and I smiled tearfully; everyday I missed her but over the years, the pain had dulled to an occasional throbbing ache. Now though, now it had come back, hard and fast. Every time I would even glance at my brother's child I would feel like a giant hole was being continually ripped out of me. Idun was my world and we still, a thousand years later, have no idea what happened to her. When I became a vampire those feeling were only amplified – couped with the loss of my connection to nature itself and I was almost driven insane. If it wasn't for my siblings, especially Elijah, I most likely would have daggered myself only years after our transformation.

If it was not for my brothers and sister… It was time to return the favour in order to spare my brother that pain.

I returned just after night fell and I met my brothers on the balcony overlooking the city. They did not turn to look at me as I came to a stop just besides Nik. I cast my gaze over the city my siblings helped build so many centuries ago; it was beautiful, almost tragically so. I found myself wishing that one day I could explore it without the shadow of a threat looming behind me.

"They will be watching us," Klaus stated gruffly. "All of them. All of us leaving together will draw too much attention. Arabella and I will go alone. Take your mourning public when we are gone."

"That will not be difficult," I muttered. "Grief is still grief, no matter the situation." We were all silent for a few minutes, the severity of the situation weighing heavily on us.

Elijah shifted, clearly agitated and asked, "In what world will she be safe without us, brother? Who can protect her better than we?"

Klaus smiled, the smallest of smiles, and said softly, "There is one person, well," He cast his glance at me. "Two, actually."

Later that night, just before I joined Rebekah in the car where the newly named Arabella Hope Mikaelson was buckled in, I paused. I looked over at a stiff Klaus.

"You will both be broken."

"I know." His tone was clear and blunt.

"Promise me something, Nik," His blue eyes, pain so bright I could see it from several feet away. I let out a shaky breath, "Do not let it control you, or Hayley. Not like it did me."

Klaus stared at me for a few moments before slowly nodding; he understood perfectly what I meant. So, I sent him a small smile and got into the car, shutting the door as quietly as I could as to not disturb Hope.

"There is a chance that this will destroy them." I told my sister and she nodded, starting the car.

"Yes, there is." She agreed and I sighed, glancing over to check on Hope; she was swaddled up in blankets, strapped into the car seat. She was silent as she slept, unaware that she would not see her parents for who knows how long.

"Let us hope that it does not rule them," I turned back around. "And that Nik has learned from my mistakes."

* * *

 _ **Flashback 1001**_

 _Blood was everywhere. I did not where I was, or how I came to be there – I only knew it was not my own village._

 _For some reason this made me mad and it only fuelled the wretched sobs that encased my body._

" _Arabella?"_

 _I did not turn to my brother, instead focusing on the shallow breathing of the woman in front of me. She was half-dead, throat torn out and I thanked the Gods that the children of this village were all sent away at birth._

 _Without another word, I reached over and thrust my hand into her chest; she gasped, blood pouring out of her mouth. Numbly, I gripped her heart tight and pulled. Her heart was still beating in my hand even as it left her chest._

" _That is what it feels like," I whispered brokenly and threw the warm heart to the side._

 _Right on top of the growing pile of hearts – a routine that remained for a few years, until eventually I just turned my emotions off._

 _ **End Flashback**_

* * *

 **So... yeah.**

 **I apologise for the lateness and the complete lack of updates. No excuses, no nothing other than a sincere apology - I really do appreciate everyone who reviews, reads, favourites, etc. to this story. I know I haven't been very good to you back but I'm hoping to get back on track. I working on organizing my life better so hopefully this story will be updated regularly, or at least every few weeks or so.**

 **But anyway - please favourite, follow, review! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **xx**


	5. Let The Lambs Flee

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four - Let The Lambs Flee**

Days turned into weeks turned into months. Roger had come to join Rebekah and I with our niece a week after we had left New Orleans and with all the protective charms in place, I knew we were safe.

I was under no delusions - there would come a day when Hope's existence to the world would be revealed and we would all have to stand united in order to protect her. But for right now, I knew she was safe.

It was harder than I thought having to constantly remind myself that Hope was not in fact _mine_ ; I fell into a familiar pattern, feeding her and playing with as I did with my own child years before. But then I would look into Hope's shining blue eyes and I would realize that she despite her looking so much like her mother, her eyes – and I knew, her personality – were her father. So, I took advantage of modern technology and I took many pictures and videos of Hope, collecting all the memories that her parents could not share with her. I had faith that it would not be like that forever.

It just couldn't be.

Today, as it was, Hope had been taken to the park by Rebekah; I was still mad at my sister for all her scheming and betrayal, but she was still my sister. I trusted her to look after Hope, no matter how much she claimed to loath Niklaus in the past.

It was nice, the peace of silence that invaded the house – it was the third one we had stayed at – and I had already tidied the place up and gotten more baby supplies. Now, I was sitting on the floor of my room reading away at all the grimoires I had managed to collect.

"Magic has most definitely evolved in the years I have been gone," I murmured, flicking through the worn pages. The writing was in Latin but I could still understand it.

Sighing, I looked up and around the room, pausing as I took in Roger on my bed. A smile crawled onto my face.

Roger had been acting a little… different since we had returned; not in a bad way, but it was still different. He was still charming, still liked to cause trouble but he was quite a bit more… touchy? I suppose that is the word. He would constantly be grazing a hand along my back or holding my hand and as of a few weeks ago, we had been falling into bed together many times a week.

For almost 700 years we had walked this Earth together, and we had both had ups and downs; through grief and pain and _bloodlust_ we had been together. He was family and my own family even looked after him – he didn't know it but there was a warning out in the community that if Roger was harmed there would be a price to pay – and yes, we had in fact been together as lovers for many years. But this was different and it was driving me mad since I could not explain exactly how.

There was just something… different. I didn't necessarily hate it but it was hard not to be unnerved by it.

A shrill ringing interrupted my thoughts and I shook my head, closing the grimoire; there would be enough time to sort out my Roger problem later.

"Hello?" I greeted, flicking my eyes over to see if I had woken Roger up.

"Esther found us. I've lost her starlings and I'm heading west. Elijah is meeting us there. I'll text you the address." The phone call ended before I could say anything.

I was getting dressed at once, the phone discarded on the end of the bed. I rushed around the room, trying to remain calm; how did Esther find us? Find Hope? I had ever sort of protective charm in place, every sort of magic blocking spell cast over Hope. I had known that one day someone would find Hope but I had imagined it would have been a few years at least.

Perhaps it was because Hope was blood related, that she could feel the child lived – even still, how did she find her?

"Sunshine?"

"Esther has found Rebekah and Hope," I explained quickly, picking up a bag and shoving my stuff in it. "I'm meeting them and Elijah west from here."

Roger was on his feet in an instant, staring at me with wide-eyes; it did not seem to bother him that he was naked and I tried my best not to be distracted. "What do you mean she found her? Does she know about Hope? Is she coming?"

"I don't know!" I yelled, flinging my bag onto the bed. "I do not _know_. Every defence spell, every cloaking spell – I did them all! How could she have gotten past them?" Panic was slowly overtaking me; my hands shook and I was breathing harshly and I could not focus on the matter at hand and I felt guilt start to claw at my chest and –

My snap back to reality was just as Roger quickly pushed me against the wall, pressing his front to mine hard and kissed me. It was rough and deep and _distracting_ and I needed that desperately. My hands came up to fist in his air, tugging harshly as I bit his lip softly and he groaned, his hands cupping the back of my jean covered thighs and lifting me up. His lips left mine and trailed down my neck and my head fell back against the wall with a loud _smack!_ My hands roamed over his shoulder and back, scratching slightly.

"Breathe," He whispered into my ear. I shivered as his hot breath trailed over my skin and he tilted my head up to look into his eyes. "Here is what is going to happen – you and I are going to jump back into that bed and have some fun," He smirked, and I blushed, though I didn't object. "After that, we will get dressed and go meet your siblings and Hope. Once we know Hope is all fine and dandy _then_ we will figure out what to do. But you're not going to be of any help if you are panicking, Sunshine."

He was right – of course he was right. It pained me to admit it but I was panicking and that could cause more harm to the situation. I need to focus and be clear-minded in order to help Hope; apparently, Roger saw only one solution to get me to relax.

Not that I was complaining much.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Roger and I had met up with Rebekah and Elijah; my sister had sent me a text message with the address of a diner, claiming that Elijah was already waiting.

"I worry for Elijah," I admitted quietly as we pulled into the car park. Roger turned the car off, sending me a confused look.

"Why?"

"I believe he was held captive for a few days with Esther," I explained, sending him a humourless smile. "It is enough to make anyone go insane."

Unbeknown to my siblings, I had been keeping an eye on how things were going in New Orleans. I used spells to spy on my brothers, and I knew that Elijah had been taken by mother. I didn't know what for, but I knew it was not for any good reason, at least not in my eyes.

"He seems okay now," Roger commented. He nodded to the window of the diner and I looked over, watching my sister and brother converse; Elijah was staring down at Hope as he held her in his arms. I smiled happily – now if only Hayley and Nik were here, it would be complete.

Kol and Finn…

Kol's decision hurt me the most. I understood the grief of losing his magic better than anyone but to completely abandon our family for a woman who he had admitted to hating, it felt like a blade to my heart. Betrayal seemed like an appropriate word for how I felt – I had given up my own life for his and he decided to just throw that away? I did not regret it, but it still hurt that he cared so little.

When I broke out of my thoughts my eyes caught a large red stain on the far wall in the diner; peering closer, my eyes widened as I realized exactly what it was.

"Roger…"

"I see it, Ara," He muttered. I cast a glance beside me, seeing my best friend staring at the red on the wall as well.

"It is smeared," I said quietly. "Like someone had gone on a rampage."

It could not have been Rebekah – she would never, not with Hope – but I couldn't believe it would be Elijah; he had been the most sensible one during the years, give or take a few incidences, so it made no sense that he would have attacked so… savagely.

"When we go inside, please have a look around," I whispered to Roger as we got out. I sent him a grave look. "Discreetly."

Roger wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked towards the the entrance – I could see Rebekah stand up, as well as Elijah, and watched as they looked over Hope on the table. Then, Rebekah's hands were suddenly on his neck and with a quick jerk, she snapped it; I flew into the diner, eyes wide with shock.

"Rebekah!" I chastised. My eyes drifted to Hope to assure myself of her safety before travelling back to my sister. She looked worried. "What is wrong?"

"Uh, Sunshine…" I heard Roger call and I looked around Rebekah, watching as Roger pushed open a door, revealing a red-stained kitchen with multiple bodies spewed around the room. My heart jumped and I went back to stare at Rebekah.

"It was Elijah," She hastily explained. "I couldn't risk him snapping again! Not around Hope!"

"No, I-I understand, I just…" I sighed, glancing down at my brother. Crouching down, my fingers brushed at his hair and face softly. "Poor Elijah... Why must Esther be so cruel?"

Rebekah snorted, then shook her head. "It doesn't matter," She said. "What matters now is making sure that Hope remains safe."

"I will call Nik," I told her, standing up. "You and Roger get Hope and Elijah settled in the car. We will figure out a next move then."

Nodding, Rebekah picked up Hope and I smiled at the baby as they went past; Roger walked over to me with a concerned expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked me softly. I just smiled sadly at him and he sighed, kissing my cheek once before reaching down to haul my brother over his shoulder. He left without another word.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and dialled one of only four numbers in my phone. My call was answered after only three rings.

"Where have you been?"

"Nik, it's me," I said, leaning against the table. "Something has happened."

"Is Hope -?"

"She is safe and healthy and quite presently, happy," I smiled, looking out the window and hearing her tiny giggles at something Roger was saying. "But that is not why I called. Nik… Elijah has just slaughtered a diner full of people and there was no reason for it! Why did he kill those people? As far as I can tell they pose no threat!"

Across the line I heard my brother sigh, "Her torture must have affected him more deeply than I realized."

"No!" I muttered sarcastically – I could almost hear his scowl. "I do wish you had called about that; I could have done something."

"I needed you focused on Hope, Arabella," Klaus said, his voice quiet. "Elijah agreed."

"Elijah wasn't in his right mind!" I argued, feeling a little irritated.

"And do you honestly think that he wouldn't want the same thing if he was?" I remained silent at that, because Nik was right. Elijah wouldn't want me to leave Hope, no matter what trouble he was in. "And the only advantage we have right now is that Esther and our brothers do not know that you and the baby live. We want to keep it that way for as long as possible, do you understand?"

"I am not a child, Niklaus," I grumbled, then sighed. "I understand, Nik. But what do we do now? Where do we go?"

Nik was silent for a minute, obviously thinking something over; I was going through a list of places in my head but none came up that was suitable enough to hide away in, let alone hide a child. Most of my locations were ones from three hundred years ago and they were _not_ suitable for a baby.

"Tell Rebekah to head to where we dined the Christmas after we fled Michael in New Orleans," Nik ordered, a sudden power in his voice that had not been there moments before. "I will call you later." He hung up before I could respond. I was left staring at my phone, trying desperately to ignore the gnawing worry in my stomach.

"Hey, sunshine, we're all set," Roger poked his head in. "Everything alright?"

I shook my head and started to walk outside, the biting cold of night doing little to affect me.

"No," I admitted. "But hopefully, it will be. With time."

* * *

It was morning before Elijah woke up and to say that he was in a good mood would be lying. We had spent the night organizing the the house, setting up Hope's things in a spare bedroom; she slept in the living room where I stayed the entire night setting up magical barriers to ward off Esther and Finn. Rebekah slept for a little while and come morning, Roger left to get some groceries that was severely lacking.

"Hope, sweetheart, you have to be quiet so Aunty Ara can concentrate," I said, smiling sweetly at the cooing baby through the cot mesh. She only made more noise, squealing and I chuckled. "You are definitely Nik's child."

"Indeed." Elijah agreed, suddenly appearing in the doorway. I smiled brightly, something relaxing within me at seeing my older brother.

"Elijah." I sighed and stood up, walking over to him. He watched me with a stoic expression and I just knew he was frustrated. Not saying anything, I stepped closer and drew my arms around him in a hug; it was a few long moments before he returned it.

"I am glad you are here," I mumbled into his chest. He kissed my head once.

"So am I," He sighed softly, before letting me go and walking around me.

I watched Elijah as he leaned over the cot to brush a finger over Hope's face – she cooed again and swatted at his hand, making him smile briefly before he drew back. He walked over to fireplace and leaned against, brow furrowed, deep in thought.

I stepped forward, hesitating before asking, "How are y-?"

"Please don't." Elijah cut me off. I frowned.

"Elijah," I started, ignoring his own frown. "You were tortured for hours by our own mother – do you not think that has left scars behind?"

He didn't answer me, instead turning back to the fireplace. I huffed, irritated, and went back to my original spot on the floor – if he wanted to act like a child, then he could. I was only trying to help.

"Well, isn't this place rather nice!" Rebekah came skipping into the living room a few minutes later carrying a wine bottle, a wide grin on her face. "Nik must have compelled a wine-lover to keep it up, because I found a 2005 Bordeaux!" She presented the wine with flourish.

"Fancy a sip?"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Rebekah, but I do recognize when I'm being handled with kid gloves." Elijah drawled, annoyance clear in his tone.

Rebekah shot me a look, putting the wine on the side table and I rolled my eyes in response.

"He's brooding," I told her, shooting a glare at his back, before returning to my books.

Rebekah sighed, "How are you feeling?"

"Patronized." He answered, finally turning around. I rolled my eyes again – figures he would answer _her_ – but stayed quiet and it was a few more moments before Elijah spoke again.

"I am here to protect _you._ " He said, staring evenly at Rebekah.

"I know you mean to, Elijah –" She started but Elijah cut her off.

"And yet you find it necessary to render me unconscious before bringing me here!"

"Well, you weren't yourself!" Rebekah defended. "And I needed to get us out of that diner." I looked up through my lashes, watching as Elijah seemed to shrink back a little at the heat in our sister's gaze. "What happened back there?"

Elijah stiffened, looking down at Hope briefly before looking back up. "I don't know." He admitted, obviously tense. "Niklaus sent me to protect Hope. My job is to keep her safe."

Elijah sat down on one of the seats, back straight and a frown on his face; I bit my lip to keep from saying anything but it was obvious that Elijah was hurting. Whether he realized it or not, I do not know.

"Right." I sighed, pushing myself onto my feet. Waving my hand to close the books, I started to walk past Rebekah while stretching. "I'm going to go have a quick shower and then get some rest – I imagine Roger will be back soon." Hope squealed loudly as I went by and I waved at her. "She is due for a meal soon, sister."

"Okay." Rebekah said softly, still looking at Elijah. I couldn't see him since my back was turned but I could feel his eyes on me as I exited the living room and made my way up the stairs.

After a quick shower I slipped on one of Roger's shirt before collapsing onto the bed. I was tired, a stress filled day and night sucking the energy from me. Vampire do not get tired easily but when we do, it's just like everything else – amplified.

I fell asleep quickly to the sound of Hope giggling on the floor below.

* * *

When I woke up hours later, I could hear Elijah, Rebekah and Hope out the front and when I glanced outside, I watched my sister start to stack some wood into a bonfire. I smiled to myself briefly, before slipping a pair of jeans on under Roger's shirt and making my way downstairs, leaving a sleeping Roger behind me.

"Is that what I think it it?" I asked as I stepped out of the house. Hope squealed as Elijah picked her up and she looked at me with wide blue eyes.

Rebekah bounced up onto her feet, a proud smile on her face.

"It's bonfire season!" She declared happily. "And _I_ am reviving a family tradition!"

"Are you sure that's wise? Last I remember, your dress caught fire and we burnt all the food."

"Nik pushed me!" Rebekah rebutted and I laughed – Elijah smirked but chose to stay out of it. "And besides, we are all going to be together – why not start up the bonfires again?"

"Only because we are fleeing from one of our deranged parents," Elijah sighed. "Another Mikaelson family tradition."

I walked over and sat down beside Elijah on the edge of the porch, leaning my chin on his shoulder to peer at my niece; she barely glanced at me before she turned to look at something else. She was such a curious child and I dread to think of how she'll be in a few years. Most likely an absolute terror.

"We're not so bad," I spoke softly, still staring at Hope. "Being with Hope… it reminded me that children see the best in everything and if they can see the best in us, we mustn't be the monster our parents think we are," I tilted my head and Hope reached over to pull at a blonde lock. "Right little one?"

Hope let out a babble, making all three of us chuckle. Then suddenly, her attention was focused on something behind us. Not a second later we heard the sound of a car approaching and when I looked up, I could see my Nik and Hayley sitting in the car.

Both of them were staring intently at Hope.

Elijah stood up then, while I stayed on the porch. A door opened and Hayley come running out of it before she stopped a few feet away; she looked completely entranced, almost _hungry,_ but it was a hungry I recognized instantly – it was a mother's yearning for her child. I peeked out from behind Elijah, smiling but Hayley didn't even glance at me. She only walked forward a few steps, my brother meeting her halfway (and we will have words about his feelings for the mother of his niece) and turning Hope to face her; instantly, I heard Hope squeal again and reach for Hayley, who took her gently into her arms. Hayley's shoulders sagged instantly and I worried for a minute if she was going to collapse but she didn't. She just tucked Hope close to her, eyes closed in what I was sure was an attempt to keep the tears at bay.

More footsteps sounded and this time I stood up so I could see – Nik stood behind Hayley and much like her all his focus was on his daughter but he looked afraid. Afraid of himself, afraid of hurting Hope, I didn't know but I knew the only one who was going to ease his fears was Hayley. And to my delight, she seemed to realize it too.

The wind brushed against us softly as Hayley walked towards him slowly and Hope watched Elijah, Rebekah and I over her mother's shoulder. Then Hayley turned her towards Nik and I heard Hope coo, reaching for him like she did Hayley. Instantly, the fear on my brother's face was replaced by complete adoration and amazement; a giant smile, one I hadn't seen on my brother for _years_ lit up his face as he held Hope. I had to look away to stop myself from getting too emotional.

It was a small moment in the many years to come but I knew I would remember it as one of my favourites. A family reunited at last, even if it was only for a few days. The tears in Hayley's eyes, the smile on my brother's face – Hope's giggles as she settled into her parent's embrace.

An arm wound itself around my waist and I blinked up at a still sleepy Roger, who was smiling at the happy reunion.

"At least now we can sleep and the parents can suffer through the night."

I couldn't help but laugh loudly, a hand coming up to cover my mouth. The giggles still didn't stop as everyone turned towards me, and they only got even more rowdy as Hope slapped a hand over Nik's mouth as if to copy me. He barked out a laugh, making Hope squeal and Hayley chuckled beside them holding onto Hope's hand.

It it me like a freight train then, and the uncontrollable giggles suddenly cut off.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Idun cooed and slapped both my cheeks happily and I winced, gently pulling her hands away._

" _No, no," I told her gently. "No slapping." She blinked and did it again and this time, Asmund laughed from where he was sitting on the bed._

" _That's my girl," He beamed and I rolled my eyes._

" _Ridiculous!" I muttered, but could not stop my own smile as Idun reached for her father and he took her without complaint. I watched as he laid back on our bed, holding our daughter above him which made her squeal again._

" _I am looking after two children!"_

 _Asmund laughed, deep and warm and it made me feel relaxed, joy bursting from me at Idun's own giggles._

" _Your mother thinks we are but children, Idun!" Asmund gasped. He brought her down quickly, kissing her nose before pushing her up again. Idun cooed, tiny hands out and moving around wildly. "But she forgets that she is just as childish! And not as pretty as you!"_

 _That very second, Idun coughed and then vomited all over his chest; he grimaced, pushing himself up and rolling his eyes at me. I shook with silent laughter, covering my mouth with my hand but my eyes still danced with mirth._

" _Nice to see you have concern for me," Asmund said dryly. "And your daughter."_

" _She just… ate," I explained, giggles tainting my voice. "I didn't get a chance to burp her before you snatched her away."_

 _Nevertheless, I took Idun away from my husband who quickly shed his shirt; Idun hummed happily, unaware of the mess she made and I shook my head softly, picking up a cloth and wiping her mouth. Then I put another one over my shoulder and rested her there, patting her back gently to try and burp her._

 _That did not stop me from laughing as I watched Asmund leave to clean his shirt, disgust clear on his face._

 _ **Flashback**_

* * *

"Sunshine?"

I blinked, suddenly finding it hard to swallow.

"I will…" I took a deep breath. "I'll just grab Hope a bottle."

I fled inside before anyone could object.

* * *

 **Okay. There we are. Chapter Four.**

 **I apologize for not updating so much - most of you, if not all, should know how life suddenly catches up with you and you get distracted.**

 **I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, and that it doesn't disappoint. A bit shorter, mostly kind of a filler chapter but I couldn't figure out how to write the rest with it becoming to long.**

 **Anyway, enjoy your day/nights, take a breath and enjoy!**

 **xx**


	6. Let The Lambs Choose

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five - Let The Lambs Choose**

My hands shook as I got a bottle ready for Hope, who I could hear outside babbling happily to her parents. It was a beautiful sound, but a painful one, and I felt selfish that I was making this about me once again. This was about Hope and Nik and Hayley, not me and my pain.

Biting my lip, I stopped all movement and bowed my head, clenching my eyes shut tightly.

This was harder than I ever thought it would be - I hadn't realized that anguish from a thousand years ago would still be this strong. It was… startling, to say the least. But I would _not_ take away from my family's happiness, or even mine.

"It's okay to be hurt, you know."

I looked over my shoulder at Hayley, holding Hope in her hands and looking like everything she ever wanted was in her arms. Hayley smiled sadly, adjusting her grip and walking into the kitchen a little more.

"It's okay to be hurt," She repeated. "No one is going to blame you for that, especially your family."

"I know," I mumbled, turning around to face her properly. The counter dug into my back uncomfortably, my hands fiddling with the bottle. "I… I don't want to take away from you or Nik or Hope." I smiled at my niece, watching her tug at her mother's hair gently. "But I hadn't quite realised how hard it would be to…"

Hayley didn't say anything, seeming to understand that there wasn't much she could do to appease me.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and plastered a smile on my face, quickly returning to making up a bottle for Hope. I walked over to Hayley and handed it to her once I was done.

"There is a cot in the living room for her, if you wish to give her a nap after," I said, then paused. "Would you like me to show you how to burp her?"

Hayley stared at me, something hidden in her eyes, but she spoke before I could figure it out.

"Yes, please."

Taking them into the living room, I let Hayley feed her daughter for the first time and then showed her how to burp her; Hayley took to motherhood naturally and it made me wonder what she would have been like if her life had played out normally. Motherhood suited her well.

"She falls asleep quickly after a feeding," I told Hayley as she rocked Hope softly in her arms. As if to prove my statement Hope let out a soft snort and burrowed into Hayley's arms even more, making me giggle quietly. "Much like her father did when we were younger."

"Is she like Klaus a lot?" Hayley asked, sending me a glance.

I shrugged, curled up on the recliner. "In some ways, but I can only see them because I know what Klaus was like when we were children. She has your stubbornness, in case you were wondering."

Hayley snorted, "I don't doubt it."

"I'd suggest waking her up after an hour, because she'll need a longer nap later this afternoon. But we found out quite quickly that she will be cranky if she doesn't have a quick cat nap after she eats. It's rather endearing."

"Speak for yourself!" Roger said, entering the house. He walked over and collapsed on top of me, making me grunt. "The little devil poked me in the eye more than once."

"That is only because you were singing to her," I told him, rolling my eyes. "And you have a horrible voice."

"That hurt, Sunshine, right here," He pouted, placing a hand over his heart.

I rolled my eyes again, but couldn't help grinning and winding my arms around his torso to hug him. The anxiety I had been feeling up until then melted away just enough so it wasn't a large presence in my head; Roger had always been able to calm me down, through words or actions. I revelled in it, because I knew he would not judge me.

"Are you two…?"

I looked over at Hayley, who was looking at us with an eyebrow arched.

"In a relationship?" I finished. Hayley nodded and I chuckled. "No, we are not."

"Oh." She seemed mildly surprised. "You two just seem to… I don't know."

"We've been friends for hundreds of years, hun," Roger said, sending a sweet smile in her direction. "Sometimes even lovers. We fit into each other unlike others do."

Hayley nodded slowly, accepting our responses and looked back down at Hope. While she was distracted Roger leaned down so his lips were at my ear and whispered, "Are you alright?"

I pulled back, looking into his eyes, arms tightening around him just a fraction.

"I… Yes." I said finally, just as quiet. "I will be. Just overwhelmed, I suppose."

Roger stared at me, trying to figure out if I was being honest before nodding and kissing my temple. He stretched, limbs hanging over the sides of the recliner before he pushed off me and stood up. His cheeky grin was back in place once again.

"Right!" He clapped his hands softly as to not wake the baby. "I was sent in here to recruit you both to help with the bonfire. Rebekah is insisting on it and even Klaus is helping."

I laughed lightly, letting myself be pulled up at the same time Hayley stood up; I pointed to a crib over against the living room wall, a few stuffed toys residing inside it.

"You can put her in there or in the one upstairs, if you wish."

Hayley gently place her in the one in the living room, kissing her forehead sweetly before following us outside. Immediately, my sibling's eyes were on me but I shook me head, smiling at them to let them know I'll be fine. On my way to where the were circling the bonfire, I picked up another piece of wood and carried over to Elijah, who took it and put it onto the fire. Roger came to stand next to me, twirling some wood in his hands.

"Right!" He sighed. "Now, tell us what trouble you've gotten yourselves into again."

Klaus rolled his eyes but complied, telling us everything he knew. I listened intently, picking apart the story as Klaus told us of what Finn had said, of Kol and our mother.

"Curse on the first-born?" Rebekah said at the end of the tale. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's dark magic," I explained. "Some witches want more power than they have access to, so they'll curse a family line, so that every first-born on each generation will be taken as payment or sacrificed for more power." I scowled, chucking another piece of wood into the bonfire. "It's a magic that was banned long ago, but I'm not quite surprised that Esther's sister would dabble in it."

"According to Finn, our sister Freya didn't die of plague." Nik said. "She was taken as payment by our Aunt Dahlia, who then cursed all Mikaelsson first-borns for eternity."

Hayley frowned, looking concerned. Surprisingly, her eyes looked over at me as she spoke.

"Is any of this true?"

"It is if we are to believe Finn, who learned it from the bastion of truth - our mother." Elijah huffed, looking annoyed.

Hayley shifted uneasily, once again looking at me.

"All first-borns?" She asked quietly. Rebekah looked at her and frowned, nodding. Hayley took a quick breath. "So, like Freya and Hope and…" She seemed to hesitate before continuing, this time her gaze trained on the ground below her. "Idun?"

It felt like the breath was kicked out of me and my eyes went wide as I realised what she was implying.

"Oh my God!" Rebekah gasped. "Idun! Nik -"

"Every first born." He said grimly.

I must have let out a sound because suddenly Elijah's hands were on me, guiding me down to the ground; Roger was by my side, cradling my face in his hands and looking worried.

"Breathe, Sunshine," He incrusted me gently. "Breathe."

"Idun -" I cut myself off, squeezing my eyes shut tightly as images of that day flashed behind the darkness of my closed eyes. "She - _Dahlia!"_

The grief was overwhelming, like a tidal wave of unrelenting force, knocking down every barrier I had ever created in order to not lose myself to that agony of losing my child like it was nothing but air. For years, I had struggled to maintain sanity after we were turned - I was still grieving the loss of my child and my brother and those emotions increased tenfold once I was a vampire. Then Asmund was gone… Idun. After all these years, it never occurred to me that a member of my own family would have taken my daughter away. I had always thought it was the pillagers that would go to villages and steal the children. Never had I thought…

And Esther - she knew! She knew this whole time, where my daughter was, who had taken her! It occurred to me that perhaps she was never interested in my daughter because she knew what would happen, why she was so against my pregnancy. Why she turned was planning to turn us into immortals; we would be barren, no children to be born and therefore, no children for Dahlia to reap. In a twisted sense of logic, I could see why she had done what she had done but the anger in my being was burning bright and all of it was directed at her.

"Arabella!" Elijah stroked my hair and I leaned int the comforting touch. "Arabella, breathe. Listen to Roger."

I shuddered, taken in a shaky breath that left me feeling exhausted. Elijah kissed my head and mumbled reassurances in my ear, while Roger held my hand tightly in his own.

"Is there any chance that we will be running into your loony Aunt Dahlia anytime soon?" I heard Hayley ask.

Beside me, Elijah shook his head and replied with, "That fable's over a thousand years old. Dahlia is long dead."

"Like Esther?"

Elijah and I flinched at the same time and I could not stay sitting anymore.

"I need…" I swallowed, shaking my head. My voice cracked as I spoke again, "I need to - to get up. Please."

My legs felt shaky and for the first time since I was human I felt as if I would be physically sick; my hands dug into both Elijah's and Roger's arms, drawing as much support from them as I could take. Nik was standing to the side of Elijah, a dark look on his face, Hayley looked sad as she stared at me and Rebekah looked angry and frustrated.

"No! This isn't _right!_ " She exclaimed.

I laughed bitterly, finally dragging my gaze from the ground to my sister.

"Of course it isn't right, Rebekah," I snarled. "But when has Esther ever cared about that?"

Some part of me knew that I was lashing out, the grief and anger that had accumulated over a thousand years making me snap, but I also knew that I trusted Rebekah enough to not take it personally. She didn't seem to, only huffing and crossing her arms in a defiant manner.

"We deserve this! We've _earned_ this!" She protested. She looked around at us all and then straightened, eyes hardening. I could feel a sense of foreboding deep in my chest and I watched her warily. "I won't let it slip away. Not after everything we've been through to get to this point. I know what to do to stop Esther."

Elijah tensed beside me, growling out, "Rebekah, no -"

"I'm going to take her deal." She cut him off sharply. "And, when I do, I'm taking her down with me."

From inside, the sound of Hope crying out reached us and Hayley immediately took off to get her. It was silent for a moment, my harsh breathing and the wind the only sounds around us.

"Inside." I growled out after a moment. Shrugging off my best friend and my brother, I started walking towards the house. "Now."

Everyone followed me into a small room near the living area as Hayley took Hope outside once again; I sat down on one of the ottoman, still feeling weak in the legs. Elijah came to stand by my side, Roger standing behind me and Rebekah and Klaus trickling into the room after us. Roger held out a hand, which I gratefully took - I needed something to remind me to focus on the current situation.

"It'll _work._ " Rebekah insisted the minute she sat down. "She will be distracted during the spell. She'll be vulnerable."

"Even if we kill her, she will just move on to another body." I said, voice low.

"Then stop her from jumping!"

Nik rolled his eyes. "If I knew how to bloody stop her from jumping, don't you think I would have happily murdered her ages ago?"

"Well, ages ago, you didn't have a Harvest girl or a Mikaelson witch," Rebekah reminded him. She gestured towards me, "Kol knows all her tricks and Arabella is certainly stronger than Esther!"

"Now you're both insane!" Elijah scoffed. Rebekah shot him a look.

"Hardly, Elijah. It was your idea! You're the one who said she needed a win, and if we get this right, then she'll have one."

Elijah shifted and placed a hand on my shoulder as if to ground himself. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the growing unease on top of the shock of the sudden revelation about my daughter.

"If this goes wrong," I started, not looking up from my hands, which were in my lap. "Rebekah, you'll no longer be in your own body, and it may take time to get you back."

"Would that be the worst thing?" She asked, sounding resigned. "Elijah, you were ready to do it yourself."

My head snapped up, swivelling to face Elijah in shock; he was tense, jaw clenched and he removed his hand from my shoulder, putting it into his suit pocket.

"It was a foolish moment, and one that you sagely dissuaded me from."

I let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Foolish moment?" I repeated incredulously. "Elijah! Your mind is falling apart at the seams you spent so long carefully sewing and you call considering accepting a deal with _Esther_ a foolish moment?"

"Arabella -"

"No!" I snapped, standing up, ignoring Roger's quiet, "Arabella…" as I glared at my older brother. "No, what was foolish was thinking that dear old mother would not destroy your body the minute your spirit left it! Foolish is thinking that you do not need help, that you can handle this on your own!" I kicked at the ottoman, Roger scrambling to stand up as it went flying into the wall. Tears gathered in my eyes but I continued on, the flood gates opening up and pouring out in large waves.

"Foolish is thinking that Esther is ever going to stop! Foolish is me believing that for once, just _once,_ Kol would do right by this family! Foolish is Rebekah still hanging onto a life that she can never have!" I snarled, my vampire visage appearing. "Foolish is not letting myself die the night Mikael drove his sword through my chest!"

"Arabella!" Roger snapped, grabbing onto my arms to keep me in place. I hissed at him but he ignored it, glaring at me and shaking me instead. "Stop it!"

I was breathing heavily as I tried to calm down but it was as if my thoughts were flying in the wind - they could not be stopped, as well as every emotion swirling around inside me. I was tense, on edge, every fibre of my body alight with a fire that licked upon my very soul. It was devastation and heartbreak and anger and misery rolled into ball that kept expanding in my chest and it would not be long until it expanded so much that I burst.

Growling low in the back of my throat, I shrugged Roger's hands off me and turned to face my siblings; Elijah looked hurt and I felt a tiny stab a guilt. Nik looked tense, every muscle locked, whilst Rebekah was biting her lip and looking down at the floor with sad eyes. Swallowing the angry words that threatened to spill out, I began to speak again, this time in a much calmer voice.

"Foolish would be to trust Kol," I said, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "So, we need to find leverage. Kol will ultimately do what is best for himself, so let us find out what that is and exploit it. When we find out what that is, Nik, Rebekah and I will drive back to New Orleans -" I held up a hand to stop the oncoming objections that was on the tip of everyone's tongue. "We will drive back to New Orleans to aid Kol."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Nik asked. I shrugged, crossing my arms.

"I have remained in the shadows long enough," I told him. "I refuse to stay in them any longer." I owe Kol a punch to the face for wasting away my sacrifice like he did, even I did understand his reasons. I stared at Nik, "Make the call."

He did, swiftly pulling out his phone and dialling a number. It connected to Marcel, who once Klaus explained the current situation to him, agreed to talk to Kol. I listened with baited breath, willing Kol to do the right thing and accept, only releasing the breath once he did, albeit with a condition.

"That's it then." I sighed, rubbing at my temple. "Everyone understand what is to be done? Yes? Alright, I will meet Nik and Rebekah in the car."

Without waiting for another word I spun round and walked out of the room; Hayley was visible through the window on the front porch, smiling down at Hope who giggled happily up at her. My hands shook, gripping the railing of the stairs as I forced myself to take each step. There was murmuring coming from the room I just exited but I did not care enough to listen, using every part of me to make my way to the bedroom I shared with Roger and as if flicking a switch, I could no longer hold my weight as I stepped inside. A sob broke free, burning my throat as I collapsed onto the hardwood floor, a hand moving to cover my mouth in a futile attempt to stop the sobs wracking my body. It did not work.

It hurt, so much. I hadn't felt like since the day Idun was taken and now that I knew… It only made the grief so much stronger. It was like a thousand knifes were gouging out my chest, leaving a hole that would not close, like I was being burned slowly from the inside out; my mind was a scramble of whispered thoughts, steadily growing louder but none any clearer - none except only one.

 _She was gone._

Logically, I knew - a thousand years ago, I _knew_ \- that Idun had been gone for some time but when you have no idea of what had happened, there was always a part of you that held onto the hope that they were still alive. Even after a thousand years, there was some small part of me that continued to believe that Idun was out there somewhere, alive and healthy. I had never acknowledged it but it was there, slowly carving out a part of me and lodging itself in the empty space.

Until now.

Now, I had proof, a tale, _facts_ , that my daughter was gone - Taken because some woman wanted more power than she was ever given - and she would never know of the love I had for her. Did she know she had been taken from her home, her family? Did she know how much I loved her, how much her father loved her? She couldn't have, never would and that made me _sick_.

The sobs wracked my body, jolting me with every one, making my stomach hurt and my chest constrict painfully until I felt like I would never breathe again. My fingernails dug into my thighs, drawing blood and I relished in the pain, however brief the distraction was from the internal pain.

An arm came around me, drawing into a warm chest and I instantly recognised it as Roger's. He was sitting on the floor, sliding me so I was in between his legs and my face was pressed into the crevice where neck met shoulder. His other hand came up to tangle in my hair and he kissed my head softly, making me cry harder.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. "I am so, so sorry, Ara."

"It hurts!" I wailed into his neck, clutching his shirt in my fist tightly. "Oh God! I-It hurts so much, Roger!"

"I know, I know," He soothed, rocking me slightly. "I know, sweetheart, I know. I am so sorry."

"I want it to stop!"

He didn't even flinch. "Hope needs you, all of you, focused on making sure that she is safe and can go home." He kissed my cheek this time before tucking me back close again. "After we know she is safe you can turn it off for as long as you want, okay? And I'll be right behind you, cleaning up whatever mess you make this time."

I let out a broken, watery laugh, curling into him more, enveloping myself in his embrace; some part of me was thanking the universe for sending Roger to comfort me instead of one of my siblings. I loved them but I did not need someone who was there that day to comfort me now, I did not need soft reassurances and vows that would eventually be broken. I just needed to cry and Roger would let me do that. He wouldn't promise retribution or tell me the pain would go away or that eventually this will pass. He would just let me be.

"I love you, you know that, right?" I said quietly, some time later.

He hummed, the sound vibrating through me. "I know. I love you too, Sunshine."

I let out a ragged breath, feeling drained but strangely determined. Tonight, Esther would pay, and I knew that what we had planned for her was going to destroy her.

Like she destroyed us - destroyed _me_ \- a thousand years ago.

* * *

I could hear Kol before I could see him and even in a different body, with a different voice, I could hear the sarcastic undertones that he always used.

Rebekah was on her way to the Lycée where our mother was, waiting for Kol to show up to do his part. Nik and I were just arriving at the Compound and we could hear arguing inside - it seemed Kol wanted the White Oak Stake. I clenched my hands, following Nik as he hurried inside.

"Kol!" He bellowed, seeping into the open floor of the compound. I waited in the shadows, watching, waiting to see what Kol would do. "Whatever grudges you hold against me, we're doing this for the good of our family. Do I have your word that for once, you will honour that?"

Kol stared at him and slowly nodded.

"You have my word, Nik. Swear on the face of us all."

"Including me?" I asked loudly, stepping out into the light. Kol's eyes widened, shock on his face and I couldn't help but smirk, coming forward to stand next to Klaus.

"Now, I would ask if you have missed me but judging by the fact that you happily jumped at the chance to move into another body after I _died_ -" He flinched. "- To resurrect you, I would have hard time believing anything you say."

"How…?" He went to ask but I shook my head and scoffed.

"I have my powers back, Kol," I sneered. "And I didn't have to betray my family to do it."

"I'm sorry," The Harvest witch - Davina, if I remember correctly - asked, glaring at me. "Who the hell are you?"

Marcellus was staring at me, curiosity clear in his eyes. "Arabella Mikaelson. I grew up hearing stories about you." I smiled tightly, not in the mood to get to know the adoptive son of my brother (who just so happened to betray the family who raised him as easily as Kol did).

"I'll get the stake." Klaus said, smiling weakly and walking off to go fetch the weapon that could kill us. He walked by a blonde woman, who I recognised instantly as Camille.

"Camille," I said, holding out a hand in greeting. "It's lovely to meet you." She accepted my hand warily, looking on edge. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."

"Uh… me too?" She said finally and my smile turned genuine.

"Don't worry too much," I assured her. "Nik cares for you, he won't let anything happen."

Her face flushed brightly and I swallowed my chuckle, instead turning back to face the vampire and witches.

"Now, I assume everyone understands what is happening, yes?" At their nods, I continue. "Alright. Davina, I'll be taking over."

She looked affronted. "What? No!"

"Yes." I said calmly, the same time Klaus returned with the stake.

Davina glared at me, sitting up straight and sneering slightly.

"How do we know you aren't going to mess up or betray us?" She questioned.

"Because the woman we are trying to kill is the reason my child was kidnapped and possibly slaughtered." I said, face blank and watched her blanch, reeling back as if shocked. "And, I am also more powerful than you and Esther combined. Therefore, _I_ have the best chance of making sure Esther will not jump into another body and Rebekah won't end up in Camille. So I suggest you stop acting like a brat or I will make you join your Harvest friends in hell." I turned to the youngest of my brother's, keeping my expression perfectly blank as I spoke. "And Kol, if you have betrayed us or mess this up in any way, you will join her. And this time," My gaze hardened. "I will not bring you back."

He swallowed, nodding, and accepted the stake Klaus' held out to him.

* * *

"Kol is going to link this hourglass to Esther's in the Lycée," I explained to a nervous looking Camille. I spread the salt around said hourglass in a circle, placing herbs and some sand around it next. "Ours will mirror hers. When the last of the sand falls, Esther will begin the spell to jump my sister into you, but that is also when I will redirect the spell back to her."

"It's meant to jame the signal just long enough to keep that kind of magic from working against anyone." Davina told her, patting her arm softly. Camille let out a shaky breath.

"It if works." She said anxiously.

"It'll work!" Marcellus assured her. "When Rebekah attack Esther won't be able to jump her into you."

"Or herself into anyone else." I added.

"And we're _sure_ Kol is on board?" Camille's eyes darted to me as I continued to set up the spell. "I mean, didn't you say something about him betraying you even though you died and -"

"I died to bring my brother back from the dead and yes, he decided that my sacrifice wasn't worth as much as having a body that could do magic was." I said bitterly, before shaking my head and sighing. "Look, my brother is a liar, a thief and trouble-maker, but he does not give his word lightly." Resuming setting up, I continued, "And besides, he has something to lose."

"What's that?" Marcellus wondered,then sarcastically added, "His witch body?"

I smirked. "Davina."

Said girl looked shocked, as did Marcellus but I barely paid them any attention. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the hourglass, waiting for the moment Kol spelled the hourglass.

I didn't have to wait long.

"It's working." I announced, opening my eyes. The sand in the hourglass was falling and I could feel the tension in the room increase dramatically. Indeed, I could feel my own anxiety fluttering around my stomach and I breathed deeply to try and get rid of it.

"Now?"

"Not yet." I hissed, all my attention on the sand in the hourglass. I had the smallest window of opportunity to get this right and if I missed it, everything would be ruined.

And as the last grain of sand dropped from above, I barely heard Marcellus' command of "Now!" as I closed my eyes and began chanting.

" _Seen ta lum res victas per vaties imparret."_ I chanted. I heard Marcellus say something, followed by Davina, but I was too focused on the spell to figure out what it was.

The spell was strong, I had to give mother that, but it wasn't strong enough to be unbreakable.

All of a sudden the was the sound of glass smashing and I had to duck out of the way as the hourglass exploded. When I look back up, my knees digging into the floor, I notice Camille unconscious int he arms of Marcellus.

"Did it work?" He asked urgent.

I let out a breath. "I don't know." I admitted. "We have to wait until she awakens." He looked unhappy, but that was all I could give him. Hopefully, Rebekah had gotten Esther and I could figure out the rest later if something had gone wrong.

"Move her to the chairs over there," I suggested as I pulled myself to my feet. "No reason for her to be uncomfortable."

The three of us migrated over to the chairs with Camille in tow and Marcellus carefully put her in one of the armchairs. Davina kneeled beside her, stroking her hair softly while the vampire paced.

"Kaleb never mentioned he had another sister," Davina said after a few moments. I snorted, brushing off a few pieces of glass.

"I don't doubt it. Guilt, I suppose."

"Where were you? Before."

"Oh, I was dead, love," I said. "I was not lying about that. See, Kol being the idiot that he is, decided to intervene in a situation in the most drastic way and it cost him his life. Long story short, I had a necklace from back when I was still a witch, which I had hidden my powers inside so Esther could not have access to it. I… _hacked_ into it, I suppose, for lack of a better word, and brought Kol back to life at the cost of my own."

Davina frowned, confusion marring her features. "But… How? You're a vampire!"

"Every supernatural being, be it witch, werewolf or vampire have some magic inside them." I said. "But witches are the only one who can access it, because they are technically still human. Werewolves and vampires are not. To give a vampire or werewolf powers is to disrupt the balance of nature itself. When I was casting the spell to revive my brother I was only releasing my magic from the stone, only I was releasing it _through_ me."

"Giving you enough time to cast the spell you needed." Davina realized. I nodded, smiling.

"I was just as surprised as I imagine you are when the ancestors, and I mean the ancient ancestors, the oldest witches and warlocks, granted me my powers back once I was dead." I shrugged, playing with a stray piece of material on the seat. "Whatever the reason, I am grateful for the chance and I'm doing my best to respect nature's wishes."

Klaus chose that moment to enter, carrying Rebekah in his arms. Frowning, I stood up and let him place her on the lounge and moved a piece of hair out of her face. She looked as if she was sleeping and not… dead.

"Cami's not awake yet, either." Davina said, looking put out.

Marcellus rushed into the room, looking both angry and worried. "When she's up, we gotta get her out of the Quarter." He said hurriedly, pointing to Camille. "She's not safe here. Someone busted Finn out!"

Nik and I shared a look, making him sigh.

"My mother is using Mikael to do her dirty work now." He said; I noticed a betrayed, sad look pass over his face but it was gone just as quickly as I came. It made me wonder what Esther had done now.

I jumped as Camille suddenly gasped, awakening. Marcellus immediately looked at her but it was my brother who moved towards her.

Hesitantly, my brother muttered, "Camille?"

Said woman looked around for a little bit, looking a little confused before relief overcame her expression and she left out a relieved, happy sigh, sinking into the armchair.

"I suddenly _love_ that stupid name!"

Davina laughed and hugged her, making Camille laugh as well. I sighed and let my head fall back, closing my eyes - at least Camille was safe from any body jumping now. Esther cannot touch her. I may not know the woman well but I had the sneaking suspicion that Klaus cared for her more than he realized.

The sound of someone moving prompted me to open my eyes and I did, zeroing in on Nik's protégé, who sat down on the chair with my still unconscious sister. With a heavy heart I realized that Rebekah had not yet woken up, meaning that the spell had not been stopped. Which meant…

"I couldn't stop the spell," Nik confirmed when I looked to him for confirmation. We stared at each other, just a second longer before both bolting towards the entrance. Marcellus' voice stopped us.

" _Please_ tell me that your mother's dead!" He yelled.

We both paused and I couldn't help but chuckle, the sound dark even to my own ears.

"My siblings and I took extra precautions," I told him. I smirked, winking. "Don't worry, Marcellus - Esther is exactly where she deserves to be."

* * *

She was in the Delphine Tomb.

I had begged Nik to let me see her, to talk to her - I needed to look her in the eye and watch as she realized she had not beaten her children once again, that she was stuck with a choice she saw fit to never give us. I wanted to watch her fall apart after her actions made me do the same thing.

I wanted to watch her burn.

I leaned against the wall of the Tomb, flicking my hair over one shoulder and tossing the blood bag we had gotten onto the ground beside her. Esther - in the body of a witch that I knew would rather die - became more and more aware as she slowly woke up, trying to get her bearing.

"Hello, Mother." I said quietly. Her head snapped up, eyes wide.

"H-How..?" She stuttered before seemingly gaining her resolve. "What have you done?"

I let out an amused snort.

"What have I done?" I asked incredulously. "You - the mother who sold out her own son to man who hunted him for _thousand years_ for a mistake _you_ made, as if he was nothing more than a piece of meat you wished to be rid of. You, who lied to her children for years. You - the witch who turned her own children into immortals without taking into consideration their choice," I sneered, struggling to keep my vampire visage at bay. "You ask me what I have done?"

She seemed flustered, twitching and wincing at every light; a delicious feeling of smugness swept through me but I reeled it in to focus on the woman in front of me.

"How are you alive?"

"Magic." I said simply - no need to tell her it was my own. That could wait until later. "And as for what I've done, I believe you are asking the wrong daughter." I tilted my head, watching her reach up and clutch her bloody chest. "Ah! You must be feeling a little… overwhelmed right now, yes? I remember that feeling - It is what happens when you are in transition."

The horror on her face was something I would never forget, even if it wasn't on the face I wanted.

" _No!_ " She breathed out, then suddenly becomes angry. "That's not possible!"

I grin, knowing I must look crazy. "Oh but it is! You might have though you were one step ahead of us, _Mother,_ but the truth is, Rebekah was two steps ahead of you."

I watched her think on it for a moment, realization on her face. "The wine."

"You died with vampire blood in your system," I told her, delighting in the growing fear that I could see on her face and in her eyes. "It's quite the irony, because you cannot be both witch _and_ vampire, which means," I sighed, pushing myself off the wall and walking closer, squatting down so I could look directly into her eyes. "You can either be the thing you hate the most or you can be dead."

Standing up, I ignore her broken look and start to walk out of the Tomb, only to pause at the entrance, my voice hard and filled with hatred as I spoke.

"It's your choice, Esther, which is more than you ever gave us."

I left then and listened as Esther started to cry. I felt no pity for that woman - she deserved everything she got.

"You did not mention Dahlia." Nik said, appearing next to me as we made out way out of the Lafayette Cemetery. He tactfully did not say my daughter's name.

"There will be time for that later," I said. I could practically feel his frown.

"How are you so sure she will drink the blood?"

A smile crept up my face then, unable to stop myself and I swallowed back a chuckle.

"Esther is many things, Niklaus, but even she falls prey to the fear of death." This time, I let out a dry, humourless chuckle. "She is scared of dying and that is exactly what will eventually destroy her. She will become a vampire and then I will return."

He didn't say anything but as Nik wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side as we left the cemetery, left our Mother alone with a choice that would ruin her either way.

"Ah." I sighed, humming slightly. "It's feels good to be alive."

* * *

 **So... Murder is illegal, just in case you forgot.**

 **Okay, first, I apologize for not updating at all. No muse - I knew what I wanted to write but every time I tried to write it, it came out like crap. Does anyone else have those moments happen to them?**

 **Two, I apologize if this turns out weird once it is published. Word isn't working on my computer - which, by the by, won't let me edit any document with opening an 'Office' account and just _no_ , let me write in peace! - so I wrote this on another app (It's not an app but I can't think of a word right now, give me a break, it's one in the morning!). If spacing is weird, then I'll try to fix it but I should be fine.**

 **Third, thank you for every favourite, follow and review I have received on not only this story but my other ones as well. It is really appreciated, even if I don't really deserve it.**

 **Fourth - Arabella now knows what happened to Idun, even though they aren't quite sure that Dahlia is alive! She has a break down, one that is about oh - a thousand effing years overdue! But Roger is there to the rescue, because he's a sweetie and he loves Arabella dearly and I love him so he will always be the good guy, kay? Kay.**

 **And boy, is Arabella pissed! She is still angry with Kol, she is furious with Esther and she'll want to strangle Kol when she finds out what he did with Rebekah. We also see a slightly evil side to her when she visits Esther in the tomb and I think I mentioned before that Arabella can be more deadly than any of her siblings because she happens to have more control of herself than the others do. So when she is angry, she is fuming and can put Klaus to _shame,_ the poor bastard. I actually have a theory about the vampires who are nicer with their humanity on are literally the epitome of evil and no humanity when their humanity is off but explaining the whole thing would take too many words and there is enough author's notes this chapter without me adding my insane theories to the mix.**

 **As always, enjoy your day/nights and take a breather! And if you have any questions or your own theories or anything else, don't hesitate to send a message or review!**

 **xx**


	7. Let The Lambs Lose

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Let The Lambs Lose**

"This is a bad idea."

"Maybe."

"You are aware that this is an almost certain recipe for disaster?"

"Your pep talks are just amazing!" Hayley commented dryly, shooting me a stern look. I merely raised an eyebrow and she huffed quietly. "We need this."

"I know," I agreed. "I'm just making sure you understand the probability of a fight breaking out."

"Well, we are already in a warzone, so…" Jackson muttered from Hayley's other side and I grinned.

"The mutt is correct."

"Offended!" Jackson gasped.

Hayley rolled her eyes at the both of us. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret letting you two meet." I only chuckled, even though I knew it was most likely true. I liked Jackson, he was sweet, and I knew he loved Hayley even with the knowledge that she didn't truly love him back. That took courage many did not have. I could respect a man like that.

"Why aren't you with one of your brothers?"

"Well, Niklaus is out, as is Elijah and the _other one_ is upstairs, however I'm afraid if I'm alone with him he'll end up on the floor, dead." I pause, before adding, "Again." Hayley rolled her eyes but her lips tilted up at the corners, so I knew she found my statement slightly funny. Opening her mouth, she went to speak but Jackson interrupted before she could.

"What's Jerick doing here?"

Hayley winced, looking both guilty and stubborn that I couldn't help but snort quietly at. Hayley just glared at me weakly whilst Jackson eyed her warily.

"Aiden rounded up the most influential wolves so they can talk."

"Uh huh… About what?"

Hayley gestured towards the main entrance. "About them."

Marcel walks into the courtyard, followed by his gaggle of vampires. I watch as everyone tenses as the two species realize each other's presence. Marcel looks up, nodding to Hayley, and extend a hand to tell his vampires to stop. They do and I take the time to study each of them; most I dismiss immediately but others I can see their potential straight away. They are all relatively young – the oldest only a year or two old – and one girl keeps looking up at me, curiosity clear in her eyes even from a distance.

There were still only a select few that knew that I was alive and I hoped to keep it like that for as long as I could. Even with Esther taken care of, Finn was still active and I wanted him oblivious to my resurrection for as long as it took to bring him down. So, I understand the curiosity that people might get from my presence, wondering exactly who I was and why I was so important. It was mildly entertaining watching them figure it out.

"Well, this will prove to be quite a show," I murmured, smirking slightly. I nudged Hayley gently. "I suggest you go see to them, lest they begin to fight."

The Hybrid only inhales deeply, swallowing nervously before she heads down with Jackson. I stay for a few more moments to watch Hayley herd the two species together and begin talking. Satisfied that she had it handled, I stepped back from the railing and walked further into the compound, seeking out my brothers. I knew Kol – or Kaleb, as his host was called – was moving in since Finn now knew what a traitorous bastard he was.

Despite my anger, I didn't want him to die again. I would very much like to make him hurt like he hurt us – hurt me – but I did not wish him dead, no matter the threats I made. Kol was my brother and I would always love him.

Does not mean I don't want to hit him unconscious.

Leaning against the doorway to his new room, I watched Kol unpack what little he had brought with him, moving everything to how he liked it; he picked up a photo on the dresser and he chuckled, clearly amused at something in it.

"What's so funny?"

Kol didn't even look up, though his shoulders tensed at my question.

"Just…" He held up the photograph, one of Rebekah from years past, and smiled. "Memories."

"Hmm."

There was a short awkward silence, during which I sat down on one of the many chairs and Kol continued to unpack. I just watched him, completely ignoring his growing unease and slowly tensing body.

"I'm sorry." He eventually said, minutes later. "I'm sorry for what I did."

He was hunched over a dresser, head hanging low and I could just see the frown on his face. It made me bristle with annoyance but I reigned it in.

"I know you are." I murmured into the silent room. "And Kol?" He turned slightly, eyes of someone else finding my own and I smiled weakly. "I love you. I will always love you. You are my big brother, and I'll never stop loving you. But I don't trust you anymore, and I'm angry, really angry."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." I simply say, because I wasn't forgiving him any time soon.

Kol continued unpacking and I left the room; the air was tense between us and I was not in the mood to deal with it. Emotionally, I was being drained faster than I could recover. All these revelations, all these problems and threats and betrayals… it was taking its toll on me.

Finally back in my room I collapsed on my large bed and sighed. If I concentrated I could hear Hayley talking downstairs, and the sound of Nik striding through the halls echoed in my ears. Nothing that was too pressing, I decided, and let myself fall into a light sleep.

It didn't last very long.

* * *

I felt the magic surge through the compound just before the building started to shake. It was over before I had even gotten out of bed but the magic remained, thickening the air and making my fingers tingle.

Walking towards the window, I gazed outside and raised my hand, trying to feel the magic around me. To my surprise, my hand barely touched the glass before I flinched away with a loud hiss. I watched as the burnt skin healed quickly and made a fist with my hand, dropping it by my side. My daylight ring was still on my left hand, tight around my pointer finger and as an added precaution, my spelled lapis lazuli stud were still in my ears. Biting my lip, I stalked out of my room and to the balcony.

"Hayley!" I called to the wolf and ignored the several pairs of eyes that swiveled in my direction. "What is happening?"

"Your brother." Was her only response.

I smiled wryly and said, "But which one? I have quite a few."

"It was Finn," Marcellus cut in, tense and agitated. His dark eyes glared up at me. "He's trapped us in here."

"Oh, has he now?" I sighed and propelled myself over the railing. I barely made a sound as I landed and immediately straightened up, fixing my clothing. "Trust Finn to play with boundary spells."

"Is there anything you can do?" Hayley asked. I shook my head, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but boundary spells are finicky. The only way to end them is for the caster to revoke it or to wait for the spell itself to reach its end." I explained. "Now, Finn won't be inclined to cancel the spell, so I suggest we sit tight until the spell has reached its end. Shouldn't be too long," Glancing around the room, I gestured to the vampire who was watching me earlier and a wolf I did not care to know the name of. "Come with me, I need help."

Without waiting for a reply, I swept by the gathered people there and into a dining area where there were boxes of alcohol packed into the corner. I picked one up, smiling as the two young and hesitant charges I picked did the same and brought the box back into the courtyard. Sighing again, I dumped the box onto the table, quickly followed by two more thumps as two more boxes joined mine.

"What are you even doing?" The girl asked, eyeing me as I sharply ripped through the tape. The box opened to reveal bottles and bottles of bourbon lined neatly inside.

Sending her a slightly feral grin, I picked up a bottle, tossed it to her and grabbed my own; holding up the bottle in salute, I quickly unscrewed the cap and down the entire contents of the bottle all at once. The liquid burned my throat and made my stomach feel very warm but I didn't care. Carelessly throwing the now empty bottle behind me, I heard it shatter upon impact with the ground and several gasps followed. Grabbing a new bottle, I threw it to Hayley who was staring at me in shock. Most others were as well.

"Listen and listen well, my dears!" I said loudly, turning to the crowd of werewolves and vampires. "We have one of two options; give Finn what he wants and fight like the beasts we are or drink ourselves sober and hope no one kills anyone in the process. If anyone does, you will quickly find my hand in your chest, understood? Good. Now drink."

Clearly, they were all surprised at my actions and I wondered if they would even do anything. But then the young vampire in front of me shrugged, proclaimed "Here, here!" and quickly swallowed the entire bottle of bourbon. Soon enough, everyone had a bottle.

Good – I feel the need to get smashing drunk. Let Kol deal with Finn for once.

He deserves it.

* * *

To say I was drunk would be a lie. I was not drunk, however I was perfectly buzzed. The bourbon had done its job – everyone in the compound was relaxed and chattering away as if they weren't being held captive. It was an effective distraction, if I do say so myself.

Kol and Davina had attempted to take down the boundary spell but as I told them, it did not work. Even I was surprised at the pure power of the spell and I had suspicions that Finn was channeling something or someone, a suspicion that both Davina and Kol shared.

Sipping on my bourbon, I hummed under my breath and closed my eyes, tilting my head back against the armrest of the chair I was in. I was upstairs now, confident that the vampires and werewolves would get along nicely without me there to buffer.

The shrill sound of my phone ringing interrupted my thoughts and I grumbled as I answered.

"Hello?"

"Is Rebekah there with you?" Roger demanded. My eyebrows raised in surprise at his agitated tone.

"No," I said slowly. "Rebekah should be with you, Elijah and Cami." Roger has stayed behind with Elijah and Camille, just to make sure that Elijah was alright. I doubt my brother found any comfort in it though, instead acting like a spoiled child but I did not really care. Roger was there, I trusted him. "Roger, what happened?"

"Elijah just got off the phone with a very much still herself Angelica Barker," Roger said. "Rebekah was never _in_ Angelica Barker."

"She's gone?" I asked, alarmed. "That's not possible! Kol prepared her…"

Kol.

A low growl escaped from me. "I'm going to kill him!"

"No, you won't!" Roger sighed. "You'll just seriously maim him."

"To death."

"How lovely."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I willed myself to calm down. "I'll… I will figure out something once we can get out of the compound. I assume Nik has told Elijah what is happening?"

"Yep!" Roger said cheerfully. "Tell me, do any of the wolves look delicious?"

"Roger!"

"I don't mean like to eat them!" He scoffed, then paused. "Well, not in the _traditional_ way…"

"I am not feeding your puppy fetish, Roger." I sighed, but I couldn't help the smile on my face as I stood up and walked out of the room I was occupying and into the hallway. "Look how well it turned out last time."

"It is not a puppy fetish! And besides, you loved that wolf, she was a little minx in bed!"

"Yes," I agreed, striding down the hallway. "But then I ended up being bitten and hallucinating for two days."

"But you didn't die," Roger pointed out. "That's the main thing. And you still haven't answered my question."

"I don't really intend to. Goodbye, Roger."

"Goodbye, Sunshine."

I hung up with a grin, shaking my head. Trust Roger to make me smile even when I was angry.

As I was not paying attention, I barely managed to jump out of the way as someone came barreling down the hall and almost ran straight into me. The boy – vampire, I realized belatedly – didn't even pause or offer an apology as he continued into the main courtyard; he was hunched over a little and he was panting, as if he was in pain. My brows drew together as I watched him disappear down the stairs.

"Arabella!"

"Nik." I replied, not turning to look at my brother as he approached. "Has Kol figured out how to get us out of this blasted place?"

Nik chuckled, coming to a stop beside me.

"You seem to be enjoying punishing him."

"I don't enjoy it, but I am angry. He's lucky I only got to him now – he probably would have been dead if I had gotten to him when I first came back."

"I don't doubt it."

He shifted, stepping into my line of sight and I finally took notice of the tenseness of his shoulders. His lips were pulled down slightly and my own turned into a frown.

"Nik?" I pressed. He growled quietly then sighed.

"Kol thinks there is a way to get us out of here but he requires things from the lycée."

"And?"

"And Finn is there." Klaus crossed his arms, looking put off. "Which means we need to supply something to draw him out, and you know as well as I that there is only one thing he is after."

"No."

"Think about –"

"We are not going to be stuck in here indefinitely, Nik!" I snapped. "We can all co-exist for a few more hours! These spells wear off eventually."

"There are better reasons than that to get out," Klaus whispered harshly. His eyes bore into mine and I was reminded of another pair. "You know that. We have to tell him."

I closed my eyes, my chest feeling tight and I brought my hands up to rub at my eyes. I really, _really_ did not want to tell Finn where Esther was. She deserved every moment of suffering, every painful inhale, every burn from the sun – she deserved it all and more. The selfish part of me wanted to keep her there, alone and scared beyond belief and let Finn go crazy with wonder; I wanted them both to go to hell for what they have done to this family, what they had planned to do.

But…

There was Hope.

Long ago I promised Hayley that I would protect her daughter like my own should have been protected; I promised Roger that I would put aside my own feelings aside in order to protect my niece from those who wished to harm her.

There was a risk that came with letting Finn lose; he would soon turn his attention to Elijah or Camille and try to locate them, which would reveal Hope's existence and that… I never thought I would be terrified of my own brother hurting his niece. Finn would kill her without a hint of remorse because he believe that Dahlia would return to take her and thus wipe us all out. I doubted it but was I really willing to let my own vendetta interfere with Hope's safety and wellbeing?

No, I wasn't.

"It's not fair!" I mumbled pitifully. Tears burned in my eyes and I pressed my hands harder onto my eyes. "It's not fair that she _still_ gets to walk free after all she had done!"

 _All she has done to me!_

Nik sighed and pulled me into a hug. I rested my ear against his chest, eyes still closed and wrapped my arms around his middle.

"I promise you, my Little Light, that she will _not_ walk away free." He promised quietly, kissing my head gently. His voice was pained as he spoke. "I _know_ that feeling."

I often forget that out of all of us, Niklaus had more of a reason than the rest of us to hate Esther – of course he would understand that agony I was feeling. He had been feeling it for a thousand years.

For the moment, I let myself soak in my brother's presence, letting myself take a few moments to just breathe and not think; I needed those moments to get myself in order. I could not afford to walk into this entire situation with my thoughts and feelings mixed up.

There was too much to lose.

* * *

 **So apparently, I am incapable of getting my life together..**

 ***Shrugs***

 **I apologize for not updating in forever, even when I updated my other story. Everything I wrote for this came out wrong and I felt like I wasn't doing any of the characters justice. I still don't, but this version I like better than any of the others I wrote, so I was just like, "Yep! That's it! Put it up!" I did check it over** **but you guys know how bad I am at spotting errors. Honestly, I deserve a metal for it.**

 **And I mentioned last chapter that my computer wasn't letting me use word? Well that same computer decided it was going to not ever turn on again, which hey, I've had those days and I was like, "Oh, that's fine because I backed everything up on the my portable hardrive." Except life hates me and the hardrive won't work on any computer. I had to configure it to my mac and now when I plug it in to any computer that isn't a mac, it won't show up. That means all of my fiction is gone. All of it except the stuff I have posted on here. Does anyone know how to fix that?**

 **Anyway, to the story : Yes, Arabella is still pissed. Yes, she is still grieving over the fact that her daughter was actually taken by her crazy aunt. Yes, Arabella will eventually turn off her emotions.**

 **And yes, she still wants to strangle Kol.**

 **Like I said, I don't think I did the characters justice and this chapter is really short, which ugh...**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please don't be afraid to review or favourite or whatever! Also, go check out my other story : It's a story comprised of one shots in the Avengers fandom because I was corrupted and I'm not even ashamed of it.**

 **Have a nice day/night and don't forget to smile!**

 **xx**


	8. Let The Lambs Be Caught

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven – Let the Lambs Be Caught**

I didn't stay around to listen as Nik called Finn, giving up the location of Esther so we could be free. I wouldn't admit it to anyone else but I was worried that the thirst for blood would consume Marcellus' vampires and destroy any chance of peace within New Orleans. It was by no fault of their own, of course – Finn had cast the spell that was making all of us hungry and the only viable meal in here was the wolves. It wasn't the best of circumstances.

Admittedly, the vampires were doing much better than I anticipated. They were quite obviously hungry, and I caught a few staring longingly at some necks, but they held themselves back with surprising ease. Nik and I had experience with blood lust, as had Marcel, so we could hold ourselves back easier than others; however, I could feel the itch in the back of my throat getting stronger over time and I had to constantly swallow with relieve it if only for a few minutes.

It was not looking good at the safe house either, given what Roger had told me – Elijah had gone off into his thoughts more than once and had given Camille a light bruise around her wrist when she had gone to touch him. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly inclined to do it again, though I admired her for still talking to him. I could understand what Niklaus saw in her (and had a short laugh at the similarities between Camille and a certain Mystic Falls beauty queen). Roger had assured me that everything was fine and I finally ended the conversation when he threatened to tell Elijah what really happened in 1603.

That was a particular incident that we swore never to tell anyone about and I was not keen to have it revealed.

With nothing left to distract me I made my way over to the balcony overlooking the courtyard and watched the two supernatural beings interact. Except the few who remembered what Marcel had done to them and their families all those years ago, the wolves had warmed up to the vampires rather fast. It made me smile, because I imagined this was how it had been when my siblings had lived here – Niklaus and Elijah had told me stories of the parties they had both hosted and attended, how the witches, wolves and vampires dismissed their differences to work together to build their city and to make New Orleans into one of the biggest supernatural hotspots the world had ever seen. There had been a few incidents, as there always would be, but I could only imagine what it had been like to live here back then. I entertained the thought of what would have life have been like now if Mikael had never been brought here and my siblings had been chased out of the one home they had truly loved. I imagined they would still be living here, co-existing peacefully with witches and wolves, the one thing Marcel never managed to do.

Marcellus… I both hated and loved him. He was the first person Klaus ever really cared for outside of the family, and he had loved my brother even after he knew what he was. He even truly cared for Rebekah and treated her well, risked everything for her and I respected that. But even with all of that, Marcel slaughtered dozens and dozens of people in order to maintain his control and I could not understand why. What was the purpose of it all? That wasn't a leader to me, but who am I to judge?

I sighed heavily, leaning my crossed arms on the edge and bending so my chin rested on my arms.

Hopefully we could resolve all of this conflict soon so Hope could come home. This was her home. She deserved to grow up here in the city her father built and fought so hard for.

She didn't deserve to grow up on the run.

I continued watching everyone in the courtyard until my gaze caught Marcel and Kol walking together toward the dining room the alcohol had come out of. Nik soon followed, jogging down the stairs and stalking through the small crowd to follow them – without even looking up, he raised a hand at me and beckoned me to follow him.

Quickly, I pushed off the banister and made my ways down the stairs and pushed open the door to enter the dining room. Inside, Marcel was watching the courtyard through the glass doors while Nik leaned on a chair on the opposite side, Kol standing in between them. I slowly shut the door to the sounds of a scuffle breaking out between a vampire and werewolf, Jackson's deep voice echoing out as he told them to back off.

"Things are getting testy out there," Marcel remarked lowly. "Can we move this along, please?"

Kol shook his head. "Vincent's boundary spell is too strong. But, what Davina and I can do is cast a disruption spell."

Why didn't I think of that?

"Temporarily neutralizing all magical objects within the compound, including the compound itself," I nodded, tapping my fingers against the chair in front of me. "Sixty seconds to get out once it is cast. One flaw with that plan though."

"Why?" Marcel asked, looking very confused. "Sounds good enough to me."

" _If_ the spell works," Klaus interjected, looking put out. "That means it will suppress _all_ magical objects in the vicinity."

I held up my hand, the one with my daylight ring and instantly Marcel's face fell.

"And if we go out into the sun without our rings, we die!" He groaned. I nodded, pursing my lips in annoyance.

"Unless we wait until nightfall but…" I gestured helplessly towards the courtyard. "Your vampires are extremely controlled, I can admit I am surprised by that but there is no way they will be able to hold out until night. Nik can, so can I, but they won't be able to."

Marcel sighed, staring of into the air.

"They're too new," He stated quietly. "We will have a bloodbath on our hands before we even get close to sundown. "

There was a few moments where we all gazed at each, at a loss for options. We could wait until nightfall, but the spell Finn had placed on us was too strong for the new vampires, especially with the temptation constantly surrounding them.

But if we did it now than they would all be stuck in here until the spell wore off, including me, and we had no idea when it would wear off. It could be hours or even days before we could leave.

Finally, I sighed in defeat.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." I said quietly, gazing at my brothers and Marcel. All three didn't look happy but all three realized that I was the only way.

"I'll go tell them what's happening," Marcel said. "They are not going to be happy."

He left the room, leaving just Kol, Nik and I in the dining room. Koll looked over at me once he had left, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.

"You do realize that if we cast this spell you will not be able to leave?" He asked. I rolled my eyes but nodded.

"I know," I sighed again. "But like I said, we don't have much of a choice, do we? The wolves don't deserve to die just because our brother is an idiot. Marcel's people don't deserve to be given the role of executioner either, but I have faith they will hold out."

"As long as you understand." Kol murmured.

"I know how magic works, Kol."

"Never said you didn't, Little Light."

I shifted my gaze to my brother, unable to stop the up curl of my lips at the nickname. He smiled back and I felt some of my anger against him settle, knowing that he did still care about us – about me.

"Just hurry and cast the spell!" I ordered, but I was still smiling as I left the room.

* * *

It didn't take long for Davina to retrieve the objects needed to cast the spell but every moment counted. The vampires were getting hungrier every minute and though their restraint was remarkable, it wouldn't be long before one of them tried to feed.

I was standing in the middle of the courtyard, my eyes glued to my brother and Davina as they spread salt on the ground and started lighting the candles. Nik was upstairs somewhere, along with Hayley, while Jackson and Marcel remained in the courtyard. Both men had been able to keep things calm between the two species but it was still tense, the air thick with worry and annoyance.

"So," Someone sighed from beside me. "You're going to be stuck here too?"

I looked down, recognizing one of the vampires as the woman I had eyed earlier. She was pretty, dark skin with big dark eyes and curly hair. She was slouched in one of the chairs, almost pouting but not quite, as she stared around at her friends and the wolves.

"Yes," I answered. "The magic in my ring will be cancelled as yours will be."

"Sucks." She huffed. I chuckled, crossing my arms.

"It does," I agreed, then held out my hand to her. She eyed me before placing her hand in mine slowly. "Arabella."

"Gia."

"It's nice to meet you."

We didn't say anything after that but Gia relaxed a little more, sighing deeply and sinking into the chair. My lips twitched in amusement.

"What are you looking at?"

Immediately, my eyes locked onto Jerick, who had just spoken – his eyes wide, he pushed one of the vampires away from him and growled loudly.

"You want a piece of me?"

I watched, concerned, as he and another wolf broke a chair and picked up the legs in makeshift stakes. I rushed to interfere, grabbing the vampire who went to lunge at them back by his hair. He hissed, whirling around to face me and I let true visage show through as I hissed right back.

"Back off or you'll end up dead!" I snarled. He stepped back immediately, still looking put out.

I opened my mouth to say something else but the smell of blood completely took me off guard.

I turned around and saw that one of the wolves – Aiden, I think – was clutching his arm where a rather large gash was on the inside of his forearm. The scent of blood filled the air around us and I cursed silently in my head when I noticed that all the vampires had become still. Too still.

In a matter of seconds, the vampire I had held back was pinning Aiden down onto the floor, and I barely managed to catch the second one and throw him back. There were yells from both sides and loud snarling and growling echoed against stone.

"Hold him back!" I snapped, pushing a few people out of my way as I made my way over to Aiden. Josh stood in front of him, the first vampire lying with a snapped neck off to the side. I stopped next to Josh, staring at his face, watching the black veins start to sprout from under his eyes. "Josh…" I warned, angling my body to get ready to intercept him. There was no need, however, for Nik quickly appeared in front of us.

"Joshua! You get away from him right now!" He ordered, hand firmly on the boy's chest.

That seemed to snap the younger vampire out of it, the veins receding and a look of guilt crossing his features. I gently pulled him back from Aiden as the man stood up, still clutching his arm.

"Aiden, come with me," I said, gesturing for him to follow me upstairs. "I'll stitch you up." Before I could even take a step in his direction, I was harshly turned around and then intense pain exploded in my chest.

Gasping, I looked up from the wooden chair leg sticking out of my chest to meet Jerick's gaze – his eyes were hard, chest heaving with barely suppressed rage. I almost wanted to laugh but I couldn't even _breathe_.

"Oh my God!" Someone exclaimed. Several similar exclamations followed suit.

The last thing I saw was Gia's horrified expression and Nik's furious golden gaze locked onto the werewolf who had killed me.

* * *

"I hate dying."

"Um… Well, yeah, I would be worried if you didn't."

"I don't remember calling you for your sarcastic commentary, Roger."

"No, you called me because you need someone to vent to," He said cheerfully. "And as per usual, I am at your service, Sunshine."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling, despite my annoyance – Roger could always cheer me up, even after I had 'died'.

Yes, I wasn't too happy with that. By the time I woke up it was morning of the next day, the wolves had all left and Kol was stuck inside with the rest of us because Nik was angry at him – which I did not blame him for because Kol still hasn't told us where Rebekah is. She still hasn't been in contact with any of us and I was worried, no matter what Kol said. Add to that the intense hunger that was growing stronger and stronger with each passing hour and I was not in a good mood.

"Nik is trying to locate Finn but he's completely disappeared," I told Roger. "Even I cannot locate him."

"Is he blocking you?"

"He's blocking everyone, I think," I bit my lip, eyeing the few vampires in the courtyard as they winced and groaned. "I just hope we can all get out of here soon. None of these people deserve this. It reminds me of…"

 _Of the 300 years I spent in cave starving._

"You'll be out of there soon enough," Roger said. "Onto lighter topics, I think Camille is having a therapy session with Elijah, so…"

"Elijah in therapy?" I snorted, grinning. "Poor Camille."

"Uh, no, poor Elijah, poor me!" Roger scoffed and I imagined him shaking his head. "Camille is scary when she wants to be. No wonder Klaus likes her."

"I've learned not to question Nik's taste in women," I said, twirling a lock of my hair around my finger. "Everything goes smoother then."

"That is true." Roger agreed.

As I went to speak once more, I heard the distant voice of Camille yell out for Elijah. The sound of Roger move quickly made me worried and I struggled not to react, instead standing normally and making my way across the compound.

"Roger?"

"Elijah's unconscious," He told me, sounding grim.

"H-He just collapsed!" Camille stated, her voice wobbling slightly.

"Camille, don't fret," I said, pushing through a door that lead into a hallway to get away from any prying vampires.

And then I had to stop short at what awaited me.

"I need to call Nik," I stated and hung up before either could respond. I glared at Marcel, Josh and Gia, who were all staring down with bewildered expressions at my unconscious brother. "What happened?" I knelt down next to Kol, placing my hand on his back – he was still breathing, so he wasn't dead, but he wasn't even twitching which meant he was completely under. That didn't bode well.

"He just collapsed," Gia explained. Unknowingly, she repeated the exact words Camille had spoken and I grew even more agitated.

"This is good," I said, biting my lip. I looked up at Marcel. "Elijah is down too, and I wouldn't be surprised if Nik is as well."

"What do we do?"

I sighed loudly, a frown marring my face as I thought.

"I don't know," I finally said. "But I'm positive this has something to do with Finn. This could be any number of spells."

As I picked Kol up in my arms to move him into his new room upstairs, I ran through the list of spells that could cause this reaction but came up with nothing – the symptoms were too vague to even pinpoint a _type_ of spell, let alone a specific one. And I would not be out of the Compound for the very near future, so I could not go research. Besides, Nik and Elijah may be able survive whatever spell this is but Kol is human now and very much vulnerable. I didn't want him to die. I had to find out what was happening.

"Stay here," I ordered the three vampires. "And do _not_ let anyone touch him."

I fled the room before they could respond and rushed to my own room, shutting the door and casting a quick silencing spell around the room. Pulling out my phone, I dialled Nik's number, pacing the length the room as I waited – and hoped – he would answer. When the phone picked up, relief swept through me but it was short-lived when I realized who had spoken.

"… Arabella?"

"Davina," I stopped pacing, confused. "Why do you have Nik's phone?"

"Because I can't wake him up."

I let out a growl, closing my eyes in annoyance. "Kol and Elijah have collapsed too. I think Finn has –"

"Oh my God!" Davina gasped. "I'm an idiot! The spell Finn was using, it was to trap his brothers!"

My eyes flew open. "What spell?"

"I was trying to find him, that's why Klaus was here! I couldn't see much but he was doing representational magic!"

"He's trapped them in _chambre de chasse,_ " I concluded. "A hunting room in the mind."

"Why?" Davina asked. "What's he going to do to them?"

"I don't know," I sighed. I was doing that a lot lately. "But Finn has always been one for dramatics and this time will be no exception. Davina, I know you don't like him but please just watch over my brother for the time being."

"Fine." I could hear her reluctance as she agreed. "But what are you going to do?"

I peered out into the hallway, staring at the door to Kol's room and tried to reign in my emotions. I needed to remain calm.

"As of right now, Finn has no idea I'm even alive," A dark smirk stretched across my face. "I think it is about time that changed, don't you?"

I hung up and tossed the phone onto my bed.

I had to find a way to reach the space Finn had trapped out brothers in – I wouldn't be able to stop the spell, only Finn could do that, but perhaps I could shake it a little. With my presence, especially without a totem to represent myself, the _chamber de chasse_ would start to crack. Besides, it would be fun to mess with my oldest brother, if just for a little.

Exiting my room I ran back to Kol's; Marcel, Gia and Josh seemed to have been in an argument but I paid no attention to them. Instead, I kneeled down beside the couch Kol was lying on and placed my hands on either side of his temple. Concentrating, I mimed the words to a spell that I hadn't used since I was a human and felt my magic pulse through my arm, throbbing in my fingertips. It flowed through me and lit up the air and I smiled at the familiarity of it. Letting myself go deeper into the trance, I focused on doing the chant one more time.

"Impossible!"

Grinning widely, I opened my eyes and came face to face with my brother.

"Hello, Finn. Missed me?"

* * *

 **Hello? Is it me you're looking for?**

 **Hope you liked this chapter, rewrote it a MILLION times and couldn't freaking get it right! Came out nicely though just not as long as I originally intended.** **I am sorry about not uploading sooner.**

 **So, Arabella is still angry at Kol though not as much, Elijah is still messed up and Finn now knows Arabella is alive, which HA! Sucks to be Finn right now. Freya will be here soon enough and I can say that Arabella and Freya will not get along well for a while.**

 **Yay.**

 **Anyway, hope you all have a very nice day or night depending where you are! Thank you for reading!**

 **xxx**


	9. Let the Lambs Kill

**Disclaimer: I do not own any material that comes from 'The Originals' or 'The Vampire Diaries'. I only own any characters you do not recognize and any plot points that I have made. Thank you.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight – Let the Lambs Kill**

"Trust you, little sister, to pull yourself back from the dead," Finn sneered, a piercing gaze directed at me with unfamiliar eyes. "I assume your… friend, Roger, isn't it? Is he also back? I doubt you would have left him behind."

"Finn!" I snapped, effectively cutting off his speech. "I am in no mood for your games! What is the purpose of this?"

"The purpose?" Finn chuckled. "The purpose is to remind you all what it is like to be _powerless!_ To be _weak!_ "

"All right, point taken!" Kol rolled his eyes and stepped forward, "I have a very human body with a bunch of very hungry vampires! If you could just pause this little power play and send me back to my body –"

"Yes, yes, you can leave." Finn smirked. "Perhaps it is time you go enjoy what little remains of your mortal life." He waved his hand and Kol disappeared.

"Now, our dearest sister has come to join us while our other sister's location is beyond our knowledge," Finn grinned, pacing slowly as he faced Elijah, Klaus and I. "What shall we talk about while we wait for nightfall?"

"Nightfall?" I questioned, looking to Elijah and Nik for answers.

"Our brother is going to release the boundary spell on the compound at nightfall," Nik drawled, a lazy smirk on his face. "All of Marcel's hungry little vampires will have quite the buffet waiting for them outside."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Let's talk about our parents!" Fin exclaimed.

"You know, I figured you wouldn't be kind to mother but imagine my surprise to learn that Mikael suffered the same fate! Bravo, brother." Nik said, smiling charmingly.

"Ah, you see, the parent I was interested in talking about was _your_ father. Your real one? I mean, you long to know him your whole life, yet at the first opportunity, you murdered him! Why, I wonder?"

What? I stared at Nik, trying hard not to show any surprise in case Finn saw but it was hard not to – I hadn't even know Nik's biological father was alive!

"Probably the same reason you took out Esther. Severing parental ties has a way of freeing one up to recognize one's true potential."

"Quite." Finn agreed quietly. "But Esther was no fool. She pinpointed your wants, and knowing your true father was at the top of the list." He mimicked the sound of killing someone and I saw Nik's lips purse in frustration. Looking at Elijah, confused and slightly offended that no one had told me, I asked silently if Nik killed his father for the reason I thought he did – the same reason I would have killed _anyone_ for.

Elijah nodded. I let out a silent sigh.

"Something else occupies the top of your list of affections. And it's not New Orleans. I barely get a rise out of you, even after I claim to take it from you using your _own_ vampire! I thought maybe Rebekah but with the one who knows her fate gone you still don't even flinch!"

Elijah sighed loudly and announced in a very bored tone, "I am fighting the _monumental_ urge to mount your severed head upon one of these walls…"

"I feel the same way, brother." I sighed again, leaning back against the post. Finn let out a loud chuckle.

"Then, I thought it was your favourite brother but mother _destroyed_ him into a thousand pieces and rather than fix him, you left him to fend for himself God knows where! Although I suppose," Finn's eyes moved to me. I wiggled my fingers at him cheerfully. "Your thoughts could have been preoccupied by hiding our youngest sister. I can admit I am surprised you crawled your way out from the other side, Arabella, but… no. You turn up here and neither Elijah nor Niklaus show even the slightest bit of worry for outing yourself."

"I am a big girl, Finn," I flashed him a smile. "I can handle myself."

He hummed in agreement. "True, but then what _is_ on Niklaus' mind? Because it sounds like to me you are hiding something. Something dark. Something _big._ Something you most definitely do not want me to find out. Perhaps that's why you murdered your real father – because he found out what you were hiding."

Finn casually walked over to one of the chairs and sat neatly down. I glared at him, an odd mix of sadness and anger welling up inside me.

"Arabella, you can leave."

"What, and miss spending time with my favourite brother?" I pouted, bringing a hand up over my heart. "There is nothing I would rather be doing!"

"No?" Finn merely raised an eyebrow. "Not even hunting Dahlia?" There was an audible inhale of air coming from me and he smirked, fingers tapping the arm of the chair.

"I would watch your words." My voice was void of any emotion when I spoke.

"Oh, but I am." Finn grinned, then waved a hand at me flippantly. "Never mind. You need to leave. There is nothing holding you here."

I woke up with a gasp back in Kol's room, only now I was lying on the lounge. The room was empty.

"Kol!" I shouted, placing my feet on the floor and standing up. I felt oddly… ill, it's the only word I could use to describe to it.

"Kol!" I shouted again, walking unsteadily on my feet to the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

It was empty. No soul in sight.

Groaning, I started walking towards the stairs but my knees kept buckling and I would collapse on the floor. After a few times, I stopped trying to get up. Gasping for breath, I wiped away a few pieces of my hair that were sticking to my sweat soaked face and closed my eyes. I didn't know what was wrong with me – I felt ill, my stomach churning, my head pounding and I felt like I had a fever. I felt weak.

"Kol!" I called out again, groaning when there was no answer.

"He's not here."

My eyes flew open in shock.

Crouched in front of me, blonde hair hanging down as it always had and eyes still that sparkling blue I loved so much… "Asmund?"

He smiled.

"Hello again, my love."

* * *

My mouth open in astonishment, I blinked several times as I stared at my long dead husband, looking exactly as he had the last I saw him. His familiar animal hide pants and vest, the necklaces that had belonged to his grandfather hanging around his neck, the large white scar on his bicep from a hunting incident – all of it was the same.

It terrified me.

"What?" I breathed, not daring to go any louder. "H-how?"

Asmund shrugged and sat down in front of me with a sigh.

"I do not believe that is important at the moment," He said. "What is, however, is that I _am_ here. For you, my love."

I shook my head, ignoring the sharp pang of pain that made my eyes water. I only stared at my late husband, unwilling to believe that is was real when it clearly seemed to be.

"Why?"

"Why? I love you, Arabella." He frowned, tilting his head and I almost started sobbing when I recognized the familiar action. He would always do that – without realizing – when he was confused about something. "Do you not want me here? Do you not love me?"

"Of course!" I cried, leaning forward. "Of course I love you, Asmund!"

"Then why did you kill me?"

I stopped short, tensing, my heart racing at the question.

"What…?"

"Why did you kill me?" He repeated, eyes flashing. "If you love me, the why did you kill me all those years ago?"

"I-I didn't mean to, Asmund!" Tears started to make their way down my face and sobs broke free of my chest. "You… I was so new at my immortal life and the hunger was… My magic was gone, everything was so intense! I didn't mean to kill you!"

It was the first time I had admitted it in a thousand years – it wasn't something I was proud to admit, and no one knew, not my siblings or Roger. No one except me because my shame and guilt was unbearable. I hid it, my own personal red door not unlike Elijah's except I could remember every detail.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _It was still quite strange to me, how different everything felt against my skin since Mother cast her spell. The water, the air… Even my clothing felt different. I felt different._

 _This hunger… We have all been managing well but we have killed people trying to satisfy it. We craved blood, the very thing Mother used to bind the spell. It was appalling and there were times where I wished Ayanna had just let me die that night. I would still have my powers, I would not crave human blood like a monster from a night story, and I could walk in the sun once again. I missed the heat of the rays against my skin and warmth of the water after a warm day. The flowers around the white oak burned us all but we healed in seconds. It terrified me._

 _This was not intended. This was dark magic. Nature had not intended for life to pause, for us to be unbreakable._

 _A moon had not gone by since we had been transformed but it seemed as if many had. It had been almost five since Idun was taken from me._

 _It was agonizing, thinking about my stolen daughter. It had hurt before but now… I felt like I was going to die any time I would think about Idun and how she was taken from me. From us all._

" _My love?"_

 _My eyes closed against my will._

" _Asmund."_

 _My voice was a bare whisper, for I not dare go louder – I can feel the presence of my husband behind me, hear every crack and crunch of the forest floor beneath his feet and it sickened me._

 _Asmund came to a stop right behind me, one of his hands coming up to rest on my back. I leaned back into his hand without thinking, drawing what little comfort he could provide me from just his mere presence._

" _I have not seen you in days, Arabella," He chided gently, voice soft. "I have missed you."_

" _I am sorry."_

" _I hear…" He hesitated. "Esther says you are all doing well after the spell she cast." I could not help but scoff quietly, shaking my head as irritation quickly bloomed in my chest. "I can admit I was… hesitant, to believe her."_

" _As you should be!" I snapped, regretting it immediately when his hand stilled from his soft rubbing on my back. Sighing, I turned to face him, finally letting my gaze rest on his face. "Sorry. I am just…" I brought a hand up to brush away my hair from my face, letting my fingers skim across my cheek as I dropped it. "Everything feels so strange to me, so different, and my emotions are so strong! I can walk in the sun no longer!" A tear slipped down my cheek. "I cannot even enter my home where my husband waits for me!"_

" _Calm, my love," Asmund murmured. He cupped my face in one of his hands and gently kissed my forehead. "Please do not stress. You are strong. You will get through this!_ _ **We**_ _will get through this, I promise you."_

 _I leaned my cheek into his hand, returning his grin with a small smile of my own and took a deep breath to speak._

 _I froze._

" _Arabella?"_

Thump. Thump. Thump.

" _Your heartbeat…" I mumbled, eyes flicking to his wrist. Focusing on that spot I could hear the beating of his heart, strong and steady, almost as if I was holding his heart in my hands myself. My fingers tapped along to the beat on my thigh._

 _Turning my head so my nose was against his skin I inhaled deeply and felt something primal run through me. I should have stopped right then but…_

 _I was hungry once again. It was why I had gone away from the village, to stop myself from answering the call of blood of the other villagers. I had already killed once – I wished not to do it again._

 _But I was hungry once again._

" _Arabella?" Asmund tried to pull his arm away but I growled and gripped his arm tightly, making him wince. "Arabella, you are hurting me!"_

" _I am so hungry, Asmund…" I whimpered and without warning, I felt my face shift as it had done before and bit into my husband's flesh._

 _He cried out – whether in shock or pain I do not know – but I did not stop. I could not stop. The blood… it was so satisfying! It made my head spin and my chest feel tight and my skin tingle with glee! It was gratifying to finally quell the hunger than was churning inside me; the burn in my throat was starting to go away and I refused to stop._

" _Arabella!"_

 _Asmund wrenched his arm away from me, clutching it to his chest and I snarled, standing up. He took a step back, eyes wide._

" _Love, please!" He pleaded. "Control yourself!" He looked like he wanted to run away but was keeping himself in danger's way so he could remain with me. It instantly made my head clear and I could not stop the gasp of horror that escaped my mouth._

" _Oh!" My fingers wiped at my mouth and they came away red, covered with blood - Asmund's blood. "Asmund, I… I do not…" I started crying, my face still that of a monster as hunched over on myself. Asmund stared at me, helpless. "I – I am terribly sorry, Asmund! The hunger… the spell has monsters!"_

" _You are not a monster, my love!" Asmund insisted, walking forward. I shook my head, stumbling back._

" _Stop! Stay away from me!"_

" _No!" Asmund walked forward and cupped my face once again with his uninjured hand, forehead pressed to mine. "No! I will not stay away because you are my wife and I love you until the end of time! Whenever that may be! You are not well and we shall work, together, until you feel like yourself once more!"_

 _Tears still running down my face, I opened my mouth to answer but I was interrupted by a loud gasp. I looked behind my husband to see one of the hunters of the village staring at us in shock – and fear._

" _What is this?" He gasped. He looked at the blood on my face – the face with sharp teeth and blood red eyes – and the bite on Asmund's arm in alarm. He dropped a rabbit at his feet, stumbling back. "You are…"_

 _He stumbled into a tree, his hand catching on the bark and he grazed the palm of his hand. Instantly, my hunger was back and I did not even realize I had pinned the hunter to a tree until I was tasting his blood. I moaned out loud, enjoying the taste._

 _A hand on my shoulder tried pulling me away from the dying man but I only hissed and sent the flying through the air with one mere push. Soon, the hunter's heart stopped beating and I dropped him on the ground, once again satisfied._

 _It was only did I turn around did I realize something was wrong._

" _No…" I whispered._

 _Asmund's lifeless body was laying on the floor of the forest, eyes closed and chest not moving. I listened, stepping closer – hoping, wishing, praying._

 _But his heart was no longer beating._

 _I had killed my husband._

* * *

"I lied that day you know," Asmund spoke, ignoring the tears and quiet sobs coming from me. "I told you that you were not a monster but I lied to you. You are a monster, a terrible killer."

"I know!" I cried, curling in on myself.

"You are heartless!" Asmund continued. "An unnatural being that should have never been created!" He chuckled, reaching out to pat my face gently. "Perhaps you should have just stayed dead – at least that is one less vampire on earth, right?"

I shook my head – Asmund would never say any of these things, I know he wouldn't and yet… 1000 years can change anyone. He could be angrier now at how things played out. At how I murdered him for nothing more than a feed.

"I brought Roger…"

"He does not need you! He spent 300 years without you, my love, and he was fine! He did not need or want you. Especially now, since he died as soon you two reunited after all those years. Do you not think he may want to separate from you? Even now he protects your niece when you cannot! You could not even protect our daughter!"

"Stop!" I screamed, lunging forward to push at Asmund. To my shock he completely disappeared and I fell forward onto my hands and knees. Panting, I stared wide-eyed at the ground below me.

He was nothing more than a hallucination sent to torment me. But why? Was it a spell? Was it Finn's doing? I couldn't even think!

I ended up laying on my side on the ground in front of the stairs, too weak to move. There was no one around and I had no idea how long it had been since I had woken up so I had no telling of when anyone would return. There were no further hallucinations, which was a small mercy I was grateful for – I don't think I have the energy for more.

At some point I must have drifted off – my mind was tormented with images of Asmund's lifeless eyes, of every person I had killed, of my daughter screaming for me as Dahlia stole her form her crib - because the next thing I recall was Nik leaning over me, one of his hands brushing my hair back from my face.

"Nik…"

"Bloody hell!" He muttered, shaking his head. "Here, love, drink up." He lifted my head up slightly and bit into his wrist before placing it on my mouth. My eyebrows drew together in confusion but I obeyed.

"What…" I blinked long and slow, staring up at Nik once I was finished. "I'm confused…"

"That would be because of that lovely werewolf bite, sweetheart," Nik drawled.

My eyes went wide. "Werewolf bite?"

My brother rolled his eyes and carefully picked me up, making me wince and moan in discomfort, walking back in the direction of my bedroom. He placed me on my bed and sat down right next to my hip.

"On your neck, love. Must have been from yesterday's scuffle with the wolves."

"Yesterday?" I mumbled. I've been out for a whole day?

Nik brushed his knuckles over my cheek – the cold of his hands against the heat of my skin was a welcome changed and I let out a soft sigh. His lips twitched.

"You need to rest, sister," Nik said. "I've lots to tell you but that can wait. It'll take time for my blood to work."

"I killed him." I said quietly.

"Who?"

"Asmund." I admitted and tears quickly built up in my eyes. "I killed him, Nik! I killed Asmund all those years ago and hid it like a coward!"

"Oh, Arabella," Nik cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look him in the eyes – they glittered with determination. "It was an accident, I'm sure."

"How would you know?" I cried. I pushed at his hands and forced myself to sit up – my hands clutched at my hair and I squeezed my eyes close as the images of my love burned itself into my every thought. "I wanted to drain him dry that night! I remember! I was so hungry and I almost killed him, then one of the hunters came along and Asmund tried to stop me! I killed him!"

I hit myself in the head, over and over again, before dragging my nails down my arm and revelling in the pain I felt with every tear.

"Arabella! Arabella, stop!" Nik grabbed my hands and pinned them by my side.

"No! I killed him!" I screamed, struggling against my brother. "I killed him! I'm a monster! I couldn't even protect my own daughter and I can barely protect yours! I should have died that night!"

"No!" Nik growled. "No, you certainly shouldn't have! You are _my_ sister and no sister of mine shall wallow in guilt for actions long past!" He gave a firm shake. "You killed your husband, I killed both my mother _and_ my father, and Elijah killed Tatia and then hid it from everyone, including himself! We are _all_ guilty of something, Arabella, but we do not sit in our guilt for the rest of our existence! For a thousand years, you have survived. Do not get sucked back into a venom induced trip to past mistakes! It will tear you apart," He looked into my eyes, ignoring the sobs and the tears that fell down my face. "My daughter needs her aunt, Arabella. Now more than ever."

We stared at each other for a long time, nothing but the sound of my harsh breathing invading the tense silence. I was conflicted but with each passing second, I knew Nik was right – I couldn't afford to get sucked into my guilt. I would never get over what I had done but a thousand years had done a lot to heal my mind of the incident and I had lived to be better. One werewolf bite, and I come undone? No. I wouldn't allow it. I had a sister who was missing, a brother hell-bent on destroying his only family and a niece who needed me to survive my own mind to keep her safe so she could return home.

I had too much to lose if I let myself go now.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, closing my eyes.

I felt Nik's lips press gently onto my forehead, warm and comforting.

"I may not say it much," He muttered quietly. "But I love you, my little light. Nothing you could do would ever make that untrue."

I started crying again, still feeling weak and tired from the bite, overwhelmed with the change in my emotions in the last few minutes. I ended up crying myself to sleep but luckily, I had my big brother by my side the whole time.

There were no nightmares this time.

* * *

 **Okay? No okay? In all honestly, I like this chapter but I had to really work for it to come out okay, you know? My muse for writing has not been kind to me lately and it's driving me nuts. I have all of these ideas but the minute I start writing it just doesn't come out the way I want! I literally cannot find the right words and I feel like banging my head against the wall.**

 **Anyway, hope everyone is feeling good? This chapter is a bit weird... But it is also a little insight into Arabella and her past. She killed Asmund, which I'm sure most of you have seen coming since 'Little Light'. It was implied in the tiniest of ways at some point. And uncharacteristically of Arabella, she hid is from EVERYONE! She even hid it from Roger, which I don't about any of you but I was surprised by that information. Her and Elijah are so alike... It's a wonder they weren't born twins. Actually, if any of you want me to write AU stuff about this story and these characters, let me know! I was thinking about doing one where Arabella was actually a boy! I reckon it would be interesting! Obviously only little one or two shots but still, let me know guys! **

**I'm sorry it's been awhile since I updated but I hope you all like this chapter! Thank you for reading, whether you are reading for the first time or have stuck by this series for awhile now! I appreciate everything!**

 **Don't be afraid to review because honestly, I love talking theories and even just bitching about characters with other like-minded people :P**

 **Have a nice day/night and don't forget to be smile to strangers! :D :D**

 **xx**


End file.
